


The Awakening

by acentricks



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, F/F, F/M, Feels, Hurt Merlin, I'm not good at tags, Kidnapped Merlin, M/M, Mild Language, Modern AU, Torture, slash fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-12 02:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 45,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11727180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acentricks/pseuds/acentricks
Summary: After many centuries Arthur and his court is revived, but waiting for them is not Merlin, but someone else. Who is this person, and why are they here instead of Merlin?*Writing gets better after a few chapters!!!!*





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fic, so it might have a lot of errors. I'm also really bad a tagging things. I hope you all enjoy.

“Excuse me. Sorry. Excuse me,” I call out as I walk down the crowded streets of New York City. I push my way through until I see a large square fountain.

People are placing flowers at the edge of the black marble surrounding it. I get closer to the fountain and see that there are names carved into the black marble. I frown and reach into my backpack. I rummage through it until I find a sleek black camera.

I alter the settings to account for the cloudy day and take pictures of the fountain. When I finish snapping photos I put the camera back in my bag and turn around to rejoin the crowd of tourists.

  
_“Alex is going to love these._ ”  
I'm about to throw myself back into the current when I run straight into a girl and fall down.

  
“Oh my god! I'm so sorry are you alright? Are you hurt?”  
I rub my head gingerly and look up at the girl.

  
“Oh no, I'm fine, thank you though.” I stand up and start walking away, when a hand grabs my arm.

  
“Wait.” I turn around and look at her. “I feel really bad. How about I make it up to you? I know a really good cafe by here. I'll buy you a meal okay?"

  
I look at the girl apprehensively.Part of me really wants to go back to the hotel and the bottle of vodka in the fridge. The young girl, who looks to be around the age of sixteen, stares at me with large hazel eyes. _“I’m going to regret doing this.”_

I smile brightly at the girl. “Lead the way.”  
The girl smiles and pulls me along. We walk past the crowd and towards a small cafe with cast iron chairs and tables on a small patio.

I sit at one of the tables by the entrance of the cafe and stare at the street. The cars inch forward slowly as they try to get to their destination, some of them honking at others with impatience.  
“I'm Jessica by the way.”  
I shake myself out of my thoughts and stare at the girl.  
“Merlin.”

She smiles and looks into the cafe, “okay so here you have to order inside. I promised I'd pay for you as an apology so, what would you like?”  
I stare down and think for a second.  
“Black coffee, and I don't care for what to eat as long as it doesn't have any meat.”  
She looks at me with determination, “okay. I'll be right back.” 

She gets up and walks into the cafe. I lean back into my chair and stare through the cafe window to see her standing in line.  
“ _Why does she look so familiar?”_

Jessica has long blonde hair that comes down in waves to land gracefully on the center of her back. Her skin is a few shades darker than being considered ivory. She is slightly shorter than average and is more curvy than average. Her dark blue skinny jean, white crop top, and brown leather heeled boots, makes her look younger than she probably is.

When Jessica is given our food she smiles cheerfully and walks back to the table.  
“Here you are. One black coffee, and a veggie burger.”  
She sets the food on the table and sits down. I smile slightly at her, “thanks.”  
She giggles and smiles even brighter. “You’re welcome.” She looks at me curiously, “so, why are you in New York?”  
“The scenery. I was taking photos.”  
“Oh yeah. I saw you with the camera earlier. Is it for work?”  
I shake my head and stare at the road, “Its for my daughter, her birthday is soon.”  
“Woah, you have a kid? You look like eighteen or something.”  
I think a little before answering, “I’m twenty-five.” I silently eat my food. Jessica looks at me the entire time.

I awkwardly cough then, look up to her, “So, do you live here?”  
She smiles again, “no, I was looking for something, but I found it so I’ll go back home soon.”  
I look at her smile it has turned slightly ominous. It sends a shiver down my spine. “Well that’s good.” I drink the rest of my coffee and stand up. “Well, thanks for the meal.”

She looks up sad, “oh, are you done? Okay, well it was nice meeting you Merlin.” She holds out her hand.  
I smile at her and shake it, “ Farewell, Jessica.” I walk away from her and start heading towards my hotel. Along the way I start to feel Light headed. I sway a little and lean against a building to my right.

  
“I’m almost to the hotel, just a little further.” I walk along the edge of the building until I reach my hotel. I walk into the snazzy four star hotel and drag myself over to the elevator. Once inside, I press a button and the elevator soars upward. When the doors open I slide along the wall of the hall until I reach my room. I fish out the key from my pocket and unlock the door. I rush inside my hotel room and fall down on the closest thing I could reach, which was a couch.

I lie down on my back and stare at the ceiling that’s starting to spin.  
“What the fuck is happening?” My voice is slurred, like I had to much to drink.  
Laughter suddenly rings throughout the room. I turn my head to see Jessica walking towards me. A wicked smile painted across her face.  
“Jessica? Why're you here? How'd you- mmmph!”  
I'm quickly silenced by Jessica covering my mouth with her hand.  
“Oh Emrys, you really shouldn't trust people like you do. It was so easy tricking you into drinking the sedative, that I had a hard time not laughing.”  
I look at Jessica in shock.  
“Who the fuck is this person?!”  
I move my face away from her hand and push myself off the couch. I push myself off the ground and stumble my way out of the room and into the hall  
“Awww don't leave Emrys,” Jessica calls from behind me, “the fun is just getting started!”  
_“I've got to get out of here.”_  
I lean hard against the wall of the hallway and try to make it to the elevators. I get about halfway before I trip and fall. I try push myself back up, but I fall back down. My arms feel like lead and are too heavy to move. Soon my entire body feels like this.  
_“Oh shit!”_  
I try screaming, but I can’t move my mouth to form the words  
_“Please let someone come and help me_ ”  
Jessica walks up to me and laughs.  
“Night night Merlin.”  
I see her foot swing towards my face then I fall into darkness.


	2. Home Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's meet the main protagonist of this story shall we?.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy people like it! Ok, so if the formatting is a little weird I apologize. I don't have a computer so I have to type it on my phone and it's really weird. Well here's the first chapter, enjoy!

'Help! I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody. Help! You know I need someone Help!'  
I turn off the radio, and stare at the road while driving home. I'm exhausted from staying up for 3 days straight, helping the FBI catch a serial killer.  
_“ Just a little bit longer Alex, and then I'm home free_.”  
I glance to the passenger seat to my left and look at the case file I just helped finish. We were hunting Mitch Hunterston, a serial killer who slowly strangled his victims. We caught him before he could kill another victim, but Hunterson still murdered 13 women with their own clothing. I hear a car honk and look up.  
“Shit!”  
I swerve my car to the right and out of the wrong lane.  
"Fuck!"  
I look in my rear view mirror and see a red pick up driving away.  
“That's what I get for not focusing on the stupid road.”  
I sigh and watch the paved road until I take a sharp right turn into an old dirt path. I get out of the car and check my black mclaren spider for damage.

Satisfied that my car is ok, I get back into my car and keep driving down the dirt road. I drive for another ten minutes until I see up ahead that the road is completely overrun by the forest. I raise my right hand over the steering wheel and focus on the trees. My eyes flash gold and the forest clears away revealing the rest of the road.

Once I drive past it, I look into the rear view mirror to so that the forest has once again claimed the road as its own. I smile and slam down on my car’s gas pedal, the engine roaring I race along the dirt road.

I slow down when the forest starts to thin out. At the end of the dirt road is a Victorian Tudor style home made of dark red brick and faded black paint. I pull into the driveway and hop out of my car. I slam the door closed and walk up the faded dark wood stairs of the porch and stand in front of the front door. It's black paint peeling away to reveal the oak wood underneath.  
  
I unlock the door and step inside. I walk through the foyer and into the rustic looking kitchen.  
" Jadeanne I'm home," I call out Into the house.  
"Jadeanne?" I walk towards the old solid oak kitchen table and see a note. I pick it up and start reading it.  
'Hey Alex, James is sick so o have to go to help him out. He's in New York, so I'll be gone for a few days. Sorry I can't spend all of your break with you. I'll be home as soon as I can to make it up to you, With all of my heart, Jadeanne.' I set the note back on the table, then I sigh, "brothers suck.”

  
I walk up the dark wood stairs, and go down the hall into my bedroom. In there, I change from my uncomfortable business attire to a pair of faded blue jeans and a black shirt. I stare at my bed and the half-read book on my end table.  
“Not yet.'”

  
I walk back down stairs through the kitchen into the living room. I walk over to a large cabinet and pull out three bottles of Appleton Estate Extra rum and a glass. I sit down on the couch closest to me and open a bottle.  
“I'll just have a glass then go up stairs.”  
I pour a small glass and take a sip of the amber liquid.  
“Or maybe two glasses.”  
~Two and a half bottles later…~  
" Do you hear the peoples sing! Singing da songs of angry men! It's a music of peoples who'll not slave again!" I sing loudly and out of tune, the two empty bottles of rum in the floor in front of the couch. The glass is long forgotten on the floor. It's about two hours and another bottle later when I black out, completely oblivious to the faint pull that some force has on me.

 

* * *

 

_‘The time has come.’_

_  
The Once and Future King must awaken.’_

_  
‘He and his court must help the Emrys of Blood.’_

_  
‘They must find the Emrys of Fate.’_

_  
‘Find him and save him.’_

_  
‘Save him before the darkness consumes him.’_

The Fates' voices ring throughout the land of magic.  
The voices are beard in a distant cave by an ancient dragon and small young dragon curled beside him.  
"A new prophecy has been told," the great dragon projected to the younger one,  
"We must inform the Emrys of Blood of her new destiny."  
The younger dragon looked to her elder in surprise,"but Kilgharrah! She does not know about Emrys's destiny, how will she understand this new one!?"  
" Have faith young dragon, she will learn." the ancient being looks at the mouth of the cave before saying," She will have to."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry these chapters are a bit short, I'm trying to get used to the site. I was also thinking about posting at least once a week. I hope you guys enjoyed!


	3. Voices in Your Head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I just typed this chapter on the site instead of the usual copying and pasting I normally do. I think it came out a lot better.

_**"** **_It_ is time to wake Emrys."** _

I groan and turn my face towards the back of the couch. "Go away," I moan, half asleep.

 _ **"You must awaken!!!"**_ The voice roars.

"Ah!!" I wake with a start and fall off of the couch. I stand up and grab the closest thing near me.

"Who are you!" I flail the bottle of rum around like a knife.

 _ **"Relax young one, I mean you no harm.”** _ the voice chuckled. It sounded like it belonged to an old man, quiet and raspy, with a sense of wisdom laced in each word uttered.

I spin around frantically trying to find the origin of the voice.

"Show yourself,” I shout throughout the room towards the invisible man.

**_"I cannot."_ **

"Show yourself," I demand “quit hiding like a coward and face me!”

**_“As I said before, I am unable to.”_ **

“And why are you unable to,” I talk to the man while peering through a window to see if I could catch a glimpse of the invisible man. The voice starts to chuckle.

**_“I am not there young one.”_ **

I look away from the window and start towards a closet in the corner of the room “if you’re not here then how are you talking to me?”

 **"I'm talking through your** **_magic."_ **

I stop searching my living room and drop the bottle onto the carpeting.

"Who are you?"

**_"I am known by many as the Great Dragon, but you may know me as Killgarah."_ **

I sink into the couch.

"You're the dragon Merlin talks about."

**_"Yes, you are correct."_ **

"Why are you talking to me?"

 ** _"Arthur and his court are_** **awakening. _You must go to them."_**

I stare at the wall confused. "Arthur? You mean like knights of the round table, Camelot Arthur? Isn’t he dead?"

“ _And a myth.”_ I think to myself

**_"You are right, he did perish. A prophecy was spoken over a millennia ago about a great king, and with the help of the powerful warlock Emrys, bring the longest reign of peace to Albion. At Arthur's death another prophecy was told. Arthur will reawaken with his court, when he is needed in the world. That time has come young one. Emrys is in peril and you must find him with the help of the ancients."_ **

I start laughing. "This is a joke right? You're joking. Is this you Merlin? Are you messing with me?”

 ** _"_ _This_** _**is no jest youn** **g witch. Emrys is in peril and you must help him,"**_ The dragon growls in fury.

"Merlin always disappears. He is probably just in a gutter somewhere drunk. And how to you know I have magic?"

**_“I have been watching you you're entire life”_ **

I sit up and stare at the botters on the floor.

“Okay that's kinda creepy, but I still think Merlin’s fine.”

**_"You must find Emrys!"_ **

"What if I don't?"

**_"Emrys will die and the world will plunge into a new dark era."_ **

I lower my head and rub my eyes."Why me? Why do I have to do it?"

_**"You are the Emrys of blood."** _

"Blood,” I say, irritation lacing my voice,”I have to do this because I'm related to him?"

**_"That is correct child."_ **

I exhale a breath and stand up.

“Why does Merlin have to always cause problems. Alright I'll clean up Merlin's mess," I pick up the bottle of rum I've been eyeing and take a large swig of it. “What do I have to do?"

**_"Go to Avalon and wait for the Once and Future King and his court."_ **

“Avalon?” I say astonished, “Like the fairy realm?”

 ** _“Avalon is the birthplace of all magic. It is here in the human realm.”_**  
"Where is it?" 

**_"A place of old."_ **

_"So helpful."_ I think sarcastically.

"Hurry Emrys! There is no time!" The dragon roars with ferocity.

"Alright! What do I do when I get there?"  
**“The Lady of the Lake will help you then."**

I lower the bottle slightly and stare confused.

"Who is that? Why would she help me, and I still don't know where this is!”

 ** _“Good luck young Emrys.”_**  
With a loud roar, the voice disappears.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more week until school! I'm still finishing up some last minute homework. Anyways, leave a comment about how you like this story so far!!


	4. Picture Books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex figures something's out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about it baking late school literally drains the life out of me. Well anyways, enjoy the chapter!  
> By the way I finally figured this site out enough to do long chapters!

I stand in the middle of the living room with a blank expression.

_“What the fuck just happened?”_

I glance at the bottle of rum and see it only has a little bit left. I chug that and drop it near the other bottles.

“Better do what the dragon says.” I start to head up the stairs. When I reach the top of the stairs I walk down the hall and into my room. The furniture is a simple eggshell white with a purple duvet on the bed. The walls are completely covered with posters of bands, movies, and book covers. I walk into my room and start pacing.

“What am I gonna do?” I walk over to my end table and grab the laptop on top of it. I jump onto my bed and and start looking up stuff. I type into the search bar ‘King Arthur prophecy and click on the first link that pops up. I start reading the page

“In the ancient Druid religion, a prophecy was told that one day King Arthur would rise from the lake of Avalon and reunite Albion into a new era of peace.” I type into the search bar ‘King Arthur Avalon lake’ and only a few things show up. I scroll though them and click on an interesting looking news article.

“Hmm so a professor of Druid mythology wrote an article saying that the lake of Avalon was worshipped by the druids for centuries, and is considered by them to be the birthplace of magic.” I continue reading the article and see the professor points out where the lake is said to be located. I type the location into the search engine.

“Close to the small town called Glastonbury in Somerset, England. Well now I know where to go.” I smile triumphantly, then stop quickly. “I don't even know who is coming.”

I close my laptop and rub my eyes. I look up at my walls and see a bunch of photos. One specific photo catches my eye. I walk over to it and get a closer look. The picture is of me and Merlin at a desk reading books together.

_“I remember this day. It was one of the first conversations we had together.”_

* * *

I was sitting in some book store with him, looking at books about Camelot. I look up at Merlin. "Hey Merlin, did you have many friends in Camelot?"

Merlin looked at me smiled and opened a book. He turned the pages until a painting of five knights, a woman, an old man, and a young boy standing around a circular table.

"These are the Knights of the Round Table, and queen Guinevere right?" Merlin nods,his smile faltering slightly. I look at the old man standing next to the young boy.

"Who is he," I say pointing to him.

"That is me and the court physician, Gaius." I stare at the old man.

"I have never heard of him before."

Merlin's smile disappears altogether."Yes, most legends do not speak of him, but he was a very strong asset to the king."

I look back at him,” you seem very close to him.”

Merlin smiles forlornly,”I was his apprentice. In both magic and medicine. We became very close, and I was very heartbroken when he died,” he looks at the picture, “when they all died.”

I look at the picture then back at Merlin feeling immense sorrow for him. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.” He pauses for a moment then looks at me, “I'll buy that book for you as a gift.” I look up at him and smile, “thanks Merlin.” Merlin smiles, then returns to his readings. I follow in suit.

* * *

_“I remember when the store clerk took that picture for us. Wait, I still have that book!”_ I walk over to the bookshelf in the corner of my room and pull a worn out leather covered book from the top shelf.

I swipe the dust off the cover, and read the title,"The Once and Future King: A History of the Legend of King Arthur of Camelot." I open it up and flip to the page of the court and study it. “The dragon said Arthur and his court. Well, this looks like a court to me.”

There were five knights in the picture; three of them were average size for men in their late twenties. One was blonde and his armor was nicer than the rest. On the blonde's right, stood another knight with long brown hair and chestnut eyes. To the blonde's left there was a dark skinned knight who was slightly shorter than the others. Next to him was very handsome knight with short brown hair. Standing across from the blonde was a knight who looked like a giant.

_“Where am I going to find clothes for him?”_

I look at the old man and then the lady with long brown hair. _“Hmm she's about my size.”_

I walk into my closet and pull out a bag Merlin gave me a while ago. I throw a couple dresses and some shoes in the bag. I grab some of my normal attire as well, and throw it in there. I then walk over to the book and gently place it into the duffel. I walk out of my room and into the room next door.

The room is sparsely furnished with dark wood furniture and royal blue walls. I walk over to the wardrobe and grab clothing for the knights. I then grab a dark blue jumper and some tan dress pants for the old man. I lay the clothes on the bed and raise my hand. With a flash of light the clothes alter size to fit the old man and knights. I shove the clothes into the bag and walk out of the room.

I'm at the top of the stairs when I stop. I drop the black duffel, and go back to my room. I walk to my closet and pull out a old musty box. I grab the duffel then head downstairs. I pull out a piece of paper from a drawer in the kitchen and write a note to Jadeanne telling her what I'm doing. I place the note on the table next to hers and then walk into the driveway to my car.

_“I can't take this all the way to England.”_ I frown and take several steps away from the car. I close my eyes and focus on the forest next to the lake that the dragon showed me. With a pop, I disappear from my house and appear in a small forest clearing. I walk towards the direction of the lake. the dense forest blocking my view of the shore. I stop at the edge of the forest and take a deep breath.

“Here we go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay well I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to comment on what you like or what your confused about. I live on those comments. Well that and Supernatural.


	5. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All right the moment you've all been waiting for, Arthur returning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear gods this is late. I apologize severely. School really sucks right now, and I have been looking at colleges all week. Well on to the chapter!
> 
> (I had trouble separating two chapters so I just shoved them together. So, this one is extra long!!)

* * *

_(Arthur's POV)_

Nothingness.  
I feel nothing.  
I'm floating.  
Floating in silent darkness.  
The cold black surrounds me like a blanket trapping me in its folds.  
_“Why am I here?”_  
I try to remember but all I can think about is the darkness.  
_“I was doing something. What was I doing?”_  
**_" It is time to awaken my king,"_**  
The voice sounded like chimes in the wind, ** _"you must wake and save Merlin."_**  
_“Merlin? That name, I know that name. How do I know that name?”_  
A face flashed in front of me. It was of a young man with curly black hair and bright blue eyes. His face is very angular ,and showing a wide,cheeky grin.  
_“Merlin! That’s Merlin! I have to help him!”_  
A wave of memories crash into my head. The battle of Camlann, Mordred stabbing me. The dragon. Morgana. The lake side. Merlin showing me his magic.  
_“Merlin.”_  
A shiver runs through my entire body.  
_“Merlin has magic.”_  
A bubble of anger rises in me.  
_“He lied to me.”_  
_**"Yes my king he did but, he did it to help you."**_  
Images invade my head. Merlin me pulling up from under a lake.  
A vision of Merlin creating an orb that led me to safety. Dozens of visions of Merlin using magic to save me or someone else.  
_“He did all of that?”_  
_**"Yes he did, and he needs your help, so you must wake up now."**_  
_"Arthur wake up."_  
The voice slowly starts to deepen.  
"Arthur?"  
It's deepens into the voice of a man  
"Arthur?"  
"ARTHUR!"  
I open my eyes and see a man with dark hair and chestnut eyes. It takes a second to recognize him.  
"Gwaine?"  
The man smiles,"nice to see you too princess."  
I blink then slowly sit up. I look around me to see where we are.  
I'm lying in a small field next to a lake. The field was surrounded by a forest on the other three sides.  
_“Where are we?”_  
I look at the lake and see a crumbling building in the center of it.  
_“Why does that look so familiar?”_  
A memory flashes in my head.  
_“This is Avalon Lake! What happened here to destroy this?”_  
Just then I hear a groan and look to the noise. A dark skinned man is shaking awake another man with short brown hair. Near them was an old man helping up a young dark skinned woman with beautiful long dark brown hair.  
"Well," Gwaine interrupts my thought," let's go round everyone up." Gwaine stands up and offers me a hand. I accept it and he helps me up.  
"Hey everybody The princess woke up from his beauty rest!" Gwaine shouts.  
I punch him in the arm.  
Everybody walks over to me. A large man, Perceval, walks over to me and Gwaine and grabs his hand. They both stare eagerly into each other’s eye. I look at them surprised.   
_“When did this happen?”_  
The old man and woman walks over. Guinevere looks just like the last time he saw her, her long brown hair braided down her back. He waited for the ache in his stomach that comes when he sees her, but it never came.  
"Arthur!"she shouts and reaches out to embrace me. I return the embrace awkwardly, but she doesn't seem to notice.   
"Hello Guinevere," I look to the old man, “nice to see you as well Gaius. You look so young since the last time I saw you." 

The last time he saw Gaius, the old man was in his seventies, but now he looks to be in his forties. Black hair replaces what was once white, and he stands taller and more engerized as well.   
Gaius smiles,"It has been a while hasn't it sire."  
Gwen lets me go just as the others make it to us, but she still clutches my hand.  
The smaller darker knight reaches for my free hand to shake.  
"Elyan," I smile and shake his hand.  
I look at the other knight and stare shocked.  
"Lancelot? But you're dead."  
Lancelot frowned, "we all were."  
I stare at them shocked.  
_“What? How is this possible”_  
"Why are we here?"  
**_"To fulfill your destiny."_**  
We all turn around to where the voice was heard. A lady in with dark brown curls down to her waist and silver eyes appears on top of the lake, walking on it like it was solid ground.  
"Who are you?” Lancelot questioned the girl, while moving into a fighting stance.  
The girl smiled.  
"I am the Lady of the Lake."  
Lancelot relaxes a little. The Lady walks off the lake and onto the shore.  
"Welcome back to the land of the living."  
I stare at her confused.  
"Many centuries have passed since the days of Camelot and many things have changed."  
Irritation starts rising in me.  
"Why are we here."  
"You were all awaken to fulfill the prophecy."  
"Prophecy? What-" The lake started to shimmer a loud crashing noise was heard before the body of a woman washed up upon the shore. The woman had long raven hair and Snow White skin.  
“Morgana!?” The group shouted in astonishment.  
"Why is she here!" Gwen shouts.  
The Lady of the Lake looks toward the raven haired woman.  
"Magic has given her a second chance," the Lady raises her hand,"arise now priestess."  
Her eyelids flutter open showing the mint green hiding underneath them. She sits up with a horrified expression on her face. She looks around and sees the faces of angry knights. Her breath speeds up and she panics.  
"Calm yourself Morgana," the Lady speaks," no one will harm you here."  
Morgana relaxes , and stares at the lady.  
"You're the Lady of the Lake."  
"Yes I am. Magic has given you a second chance priestess. Use it wisely."  
Morgana's face turns a deep shade of red as she stands.  
"Now you are all wondering why you are here."  
The group all nods, waiting with anticipation.  
"The prophecy must be fulfilled."  
"What prophecy do you speak of!?"I ask for the third time.  
"Patience my king."  
I cross my arms and scowl.  
Morgana speaks up, "long ago before most of us were born," she glances at Gaius, "a prophecy was told. With the help of the powerful sorcerer Emrys, the Once and Future King will free magic, defeat a great evil, and unite all of Albion in the longest reign of peace it will ever see."  
I stare at her awestruck. I turn to the Lady of the Lake and ask," I am the Once and Future King?" The Lady nods. "Who is Emrys?"  
" Merlin is," Morgana continued, "Mordred and I are the evil the prophecy spoke of. I thought the great evil was Uther, but I was wrong."  
"Mordred," I say aloud. I think of the former knight turned traitor, and how he stabbed me in the battle of Camlann.  
"Yes," the lady continues instead of Morgana, "he originally wasn't part of the prophecy, but when Morgana and Emrys freed him from Camelot, it became his destiny to kill you Arthur."  
I wince at the memory of Mordred stabbing me.  
"That still doesn't explain why we are all here," Gwaine shouts.  
The Lady of the Lake smiles. "You are here to fulfill the second prophecy."  
"Second prophecy?" Morgana asked confused, “I have never heard of a second prophecy"  
“One day the Once and Future King and his Court will return when magic is in its darkest hour."  
"What do we do now?" Gaius asks.  
"We wait for Emrys of Blood to come. The Emrys of Blood will teach you all the ways this this modern world so you can be prepared for the challenges ahead.”  
My heart flutters slightly and I smile. "Merlin is coming?”  
“I thought he was in trouble.”  
The Lady of the Lake's smile fell, " well actually-"  
A rustling of leaves is heard near the edge of the clearing. my stomach does a flip and I eagerly stare at the bushes.  
_“Should I give him a hard time? I think I will.”_  
I turn around to the bushes moving, a sarcastic grin on my face.   
"Late as always Merlin?"  
A girl appears out of the bushes.

* * *

 

_(Alexandria's POV)_

I take a deep breath and push through the bushes and into a small field that joins a lake.

I hear a man speak in a mocking tone, "Late as always Merlin?" His voice trails off, and his smile fades when he sees me.  
_“Well he looks happy to see me.”_  
The man has blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes. He is wearing heavy Chainmail that was torn in places. In fact most of the people here are wearing that armor.  
I look away from the blonde and stare at the others.  
_“Looks like I was right on who was coming.”_  
I glance at the raven haired lady.  
“Except for her. Hm, I hope I have clothes that fit her.” Her mint green eyes stare at the others warily, and she keeps her distance. “Who is she?”  
I walk into the clearing and closer to the group of people. The women are wearing long dresses made of thick materials, and the middle-aged man is wearing strange robe type clothing in a deep red.  
_“Geez, thank god fashion has evolved since the days of Camelot.”_  
I stand about five feet in front of the group and drop the duffel on the ground, then carefully set the box next to it. I stand there for a solid minute. The large group standing in front of me stare with confused and shocked looks.  
_“Why are they looking at me like that?”_  
"Hello Emrys." I turn to look at where the voice came from. At the edge of the lake is a lady. I smile and walk past the confused group of people to Athe lady.  
"Hello, you must be Freya." I hold my hand out in greeting.  
"It is nice to meet you Emrys."  
She reaches out and grabs my hand. I let go quickly and look at the confused group next to us.  
"Did they not know I was coming?"  
"They did."  
“Then, why would they be confused?"  
"I told them the Emrys of Blood was coming."  
_“Oh, well that explains a lot.”_  
I turn around towards the group of Camelot's.  
"You thought Merlin was coming?"  
Some of them nodded. The blonde was pissed though. He crossed his arms and glared at me. I ignore him, and look back at Freya,  
"Freya, why would tell them I’m Emrys?" I look at her with increasing irritation.  
She smiles, "because you are."  
“No I’m not.” anger apparent in my voice.  
Freya laughs then repeats herself, “Yes you are.”  
“Ok I'm done with this.”  
Angered, I shout, "No, I'm not. Merlin is Emrys. MERLIN is the one with the stupid destiny he never told anyone about! I’m the one that has to clean up his mess!”  
I stare at Freya with utter rage.  
"Where is Merlin?" The old man said with a hint of fear in his voice.  
"I don't know, nor do I care,” I say to the old man without looking at him.  
Freya frowns then says,"Merlin needs help, you were brought back to help Emrys find him."  
"He doesn’t need help. He never needs help! He never wants it either!" I shout, completely over with this situation, "He's probably on another one of his ‘Rumour of Arthur Rising’ trips, or he’s just drunk off his ass somewhere in a ditch!"  
I looks around to see the others in a state a shock.  
“Great job Alex, amazing note to start on.”  
“Are you talking about Merlin?” The giant knight spoke.  
“Merlin the one who trips over everything,” the knight with chestnut eyes spoke.  
“The one who smiles at everyone,” the dark haired lady said.  
“The man who is loyal to a fault,” the handsome knight added.  
“The most powerful magic user of all existence,” the raven haired lady said.  
I start laughing. I double over and go hysterical.  
“That’s what Merlin's really like?!”  
“I don't know what Merlin you knew, but he is long gone. The Merlin I know is obsessed with finding Arthur.That's all he does is look for Arthur, that and drink.” I turn around and start glaring at Freya. “Why didn't you tell them who I am?”  
Freya smiles,”I did.”  
I cross my arms, “obviously you didn’t.”  
I’m about to shout more but one of the knights interrupted me.  
“I'm sorry, but if you are not this Emrys, then who are you?” It was the dark-skinned knight who asked.  
“My name is Alexandria Emrys-Spades”  
“But I thought Merlin was Emrys,” the raven haired lady questioned.  
“He is known as the Emrys of Fate, Alexandria is the Emrys of Blood,” Freya responds kindly.  
The blonde knight looks at us confused,”what?”  
“These people are idiots”  
“My full name is AlexandriaChristina Emrys-Spades. I am a Emrys due to my blood relation to Merlin. He is Emrys, because of the prophecy.”  
“So you're related to Merlin?”  
I nod my head.  
“So why does that make you Emrys as well isn’t it just a title?”  
The blonde knight asked with a face of intense concentration painted on his face.  
“It’s his name.”  
“No, his name is Merlin.”  
“Its his last name.”  
“But only nobles have last names.”  
“Oh my god, I am not explaining this.”  
I trudge over to the duffel and bring it closer to the group.  
“Alright, I guessed the size you would fit in, but if it doesn't, tell me and Freya and I will alter them. Right Freya?” I look around to see the she has disappeared.  
“Did she just leave?”  
I stand up and look around. She is nowhere in sight.  
“Really?”  
“Thanks for the help Freya!”  
I kneel back down by the bag and start pulling out clothes. I pull out a set when I stop and look up.  
“Uh.”  
The others turn their attention to me.  
“What's the matter?” The middle-aged man asks with concern in his eyes.  
“I have no clue what your names are.”  
The handsome knight looks at me surprised. “You’re serious?”  
“I didn’t even know you all were coming until a few hours ago.”  
The group stares at me concerned.  
“What? Merlin didn’t say anything.”  
I stand up and look at the group, “look, how about we start over. Hi, my name is Alexandria , what are your names?”  
The blonde steps forward to speak for the group.  
“My name is Arthur Pendragon. This is Sir Gwaine,” he points to the man with long brown hair and chestnut eyes.” That is Sir Lancelot,” he points to the handsome knight. “she is Guinevere.” He motions to the lady with long dark brown hair. He then points to the smallest knight, “that is Sir Elyan. The large man over there is Sir Perceval, and those two over there are Gaius and Morgana,” Arthur points to the older man and raven haired lady.  
I stiffen at her name and stare in awe.  
_“Why is Morgana here?!”_  
I shake my head and hold my hand out to Arthur.  
“It's nice to meet you all.”  
Arthur reaches out and shakes my hand.  
I let go of his quickly and clap my hands together.  
“Alright let's get you all into some better clothing.  
“What's wrong with what we're wearing.” I look up to see Gwaine,  
_“No wait that's Lancelot.”_  
Lancelot, was the one to question me.  
“People don't wear that type of clothing. We don't need armor anymore, and pants are worn by all genders more often.”  
“Why don’t you need armor?” I shrug and look at the crowd.  
“Armor like that doesn’t protect you from battles anymore.” I sigh and gesture toward the duffel bag.  
“Alright, line up and I'll give you some new clothes.”  
The Camelotians line up beside the duffel and wait for me to hand out the clothing.  
Every thing goes fine until I hand Guinevere a yellow sundress and sandals. She looks at me in confusion.  
“Where's the rest of it?”  
I look up from the duffel.  
“What do you mean?”  
She gestures to the clothes I gave her.  
“Where are the other layers.”  
I look at the clothes and notice what's missing.  
“I don't know your size for bras, but I think you can get away with not wearing any for a little while.”  
The ladies of the group look at me confused.  
I look at the clothing they are wearing and notice the many layers underneath the dresses, showing little skin at all. The sundress I gave Guinevere is a knee length skater dress with sleeves that go down to the elbow.  
_“I'm a moron”_  
“Guys, in modern times we don't wear as many layers as you are now, and show a lot more skin. Oh, and a bra is basically what replaces a corset. They are a thousand times more comfortable when they are sized right.”  
Guinevere and Morgana looked at me appalled.  
“The future is strange!”  
I look at her and with a grin on my face,  
“It's the present now not the future. You have to get used to that.”  
Gwen nods then walks away.  
“Ok who's next?”  
Morgana walks up to the bag next.  
I dig through the duffel to look for clothes that fit her. I pull out a white, short sleeved skater dress with a braided brown faux leather belt, and hand it to her.  
Morgana takes it and frowns.  
“What?” I ask her “ is it too small?”  
She looks at the dress then at me. “It's white.”  
“So?” I respond.  
“I am not a child, nor am I getting married," Morgana hands me back the dress, "do you have anything else?"  
I look into the bag and see no other dresses.  
“I don't have any dresses left,” I look up at Morgana, ”are pants ok?”  
Morgana smiles, ”yes, they are fine.”  
I smile back at her and dig through the duffel. I pull out a pair of black skinny jeans. I set those aside, and pull out a Flowy forest green tank top and a black leather jacket. I dig through the duffel and pull out a pair of black leather boots.  I pick everything up and hand it to Morgana. After that, I stand up and look around. Everyone is standing around with clothes in their hands.  
“Everyone can get changed now, you didn't have to wait.”  
Some of the knights and both ladies turned a deep shade of red. I stare at them confused.  
“Do you not know how to put the stuff on? It’s the same as any other clothing.”  
Now the girls were definitely blushing red with embarrassment.  
_“Wait girls.”_  
I look down and rub my eyes with my index finger and thumb.  
_“I am way to hungover to do this.”_  
“I'm sorry. I'm a huge moron.” I drop my hand from my face and use it to gesture the ladies toward me.  
“Come on ladies. I saw a smaller clearing that you can use to get changed,” I look at the men, "please don't leave this clearing.”  
I turn around and walk into the forest with Morgana and Guinevere behind me. We walk for a little while until we step into the clearing I arrived in. I stop at the edge of the forest and let the ladies walk ahead into the clearing.  
“Can you two find your way back?”  
Morgana nods at me.  
I smile, then turn around, “when you're done just head back.”  
I move through the forest back to the men. I look at the guys and see they are all struggling to get dressed, though Perceval and Lancelot seem to be doing fine.  
_“Oh damn. This is way too funny.”_  
I walk over to Gwaine, "the buttons on the shirt go in the front.”  
Gwaine takes his shirt off and turns it around. I turn around and look at Arthur and Elyan, "the button goes on the front for the pants too.”  
They put their pants on the right way. I look at all of the men and nod my head in satisfaction. All of the knights, with the exception of Gwaine and Lancelot, were given simple short sleeved tshirts. The rest were given long sleeve shirts. Every knight was given a pair of blue jeans and military style boots. Gaius is wearing some beige slacks, a light blue jumper, and some Loafers. I stare at Arthur for a little before walking to the duffel and pulling out a worn out brown leather jacket. I walk back to Arthur and throw it at him.  
“That belongs someone really close to me, so don’t ruin it.”  
Arthur looks at the worn leather and smiles. He puts it on then walks over to Lancelot.  
_“Well at least they look normal now.”_  
I walk back over to the duffel and sit next to it. Just then the ladies walk into the clearing carrying their old clothing. I reopen the duffel and get everybody's attention.  
“Alright, hand me your old stuff and I'll put it in the duffel.”  
The Camelotians walk up to me and one by one hand me their old stuff. I start shoving it into the duffel. After I place in two sets of armor and Gaius’s robes Elyan speaks up.  
“How is it all fitting?”  
I continue to put the armor in while answering him, “I enchanted the bag to be bigger on the inside than the outside.”  
Guinever looks at me amazed, “you enchanted it?”  
I take her clothing and put in the duffel,” well technically Merlin did that spell, I made so it never weighs more than ten pounds, that way you can carry it all.” I put the rest of the clothes in and take armor from Arthur. I'm about to put it in the duffel when I see the chain mail has a large tear in the center of it. I look at the chestplate and see a short, thin hole in the center of it.  
“Whoa. Arthur how did you do that?”  
I look up and stare into Arthur's Cerulean blue eyes, pain radiating from them.  
“Mordred stabbed me.”  
I frown and look back at the armor. Merlin’s magic is embedded throughout the armor.  
“It must have been some blade to tear through armor this powerful. I look back at Arthur and see he is confused.  
“What do you mean,” Arthur responds, “it's just normal armor.”  
I frown and shake my head. “This armor is heavily enchanted. It's radiating powerful protection magic. It would take a weapon of equal magical strength to pierce through it this badly.”  
Arthur looks at me sadly. ”Merlin used magic on it?”  
I nod my head. “Yeah, most definitely.” I look at the armor more closely. “I can fix it if you want.”  
Arthur looks at me shocked, “You can?”  
“Well yeah it already has a lot of energy stored in it, so I’d just have to even it out.”  
Arthur looks at me lost. “If you can, go ahead.”  
I smile and focus my magic on the armor. I let my magic swirl around the armor. I feel the soft, warm glow of Merlin’s old magic infused with the armor.  
“Okay, the enchantments are still intact. It's just the armor itself that is damaged.”  
I move my hand onto the tear of the chain mail. I force my magic to bind the metal, and with a gold flash from my eyes, the mail starts knitting itself together. I grab the chestplate and do the same. When the spell ends I hold the armor up to show the others.  
Everyone looks at it in awe. I stow the armor in the bag and close it. As I push the bag away to stand up, I look to see that some of the knights, especially Arthur, are still in awe.  
“Guys it wasn't that impressive.”  
“You didn't use words” I look to see who said it but couldn't figure it out. “Well, yeah I didn't have to.”  
Arthur looked at me confused, “I thought you had to speak to cast spells.”  
“Yeah if you're a sorcerer, I'm a witch.”  
Arthur looks to me and says, “what's the difference?”  
I laugh, and look at him and the others surprised. “You really don't know the difference?”  
Only Gaius and Morgana, are not confused. Lancelot looks more curious than confused.  
“A sorcerer is someone who teaches themselves magic. They are usually very weak and use a lot of energy to cast simple spells. A warlock is someone who is born with magic. They tend to be very powerful and have very instinctual magic, and a witch is just the term for a female warlock.”  
Arthur looks at me, "so, did you have a choice?”  
“No, Sorcerers choose. I didn't have a choice, if a warlock doesn’t use their magic they can get very sick and eventually die.”  
“Do people accept magic now?” Morgana questioned.  
“People actually don't believe in it nowadays,” I look down at the ground and frown, “Mostly only children these days believe in magic, so I just tend to not do it in public.” I look up to the group, “I can't imagine how Merlin survived living in the same castle as a king who avidly murdered your people while you had to watch helplessly.”  
“Merlin's a warlock?” The ancient king queried.  
“Yeah, a very powerful one. His powers are mainly elemental though, he’s awful at healing spells.”  
Everyone looks at me confused.  
_“Everybody is always confused when I talk about this shit.”_  
I sigh and pull a strand of my hair out of my face and behind my ears.  
“All magic users have strengths and weaknesses just like anybody else. My biggest strength is arcane magic, manipulating energy forces. What's yours Morgana?”  
She looks at me in deep thought.  
“I don’t know.”  
I nod my head with a grim look.  
“In history books it’s said that you manipulate emotions and thoughts, as well as reanimate animals and people,” I look at her,” It’s mostly dark magic though.”  
“I have seen Merlin use magic and he almost always used words on complex spells like the one you used. Why does he need words and you don't?”  
Gaius asked, trying to pull attention away from Morgana.  
“Everyone's magic is different from each other. Merlin's magic is very instinctual, but is wild like nature. It needs to be tamed. My magic is more like energy being manipulated. So, while Merlin's magic need verbal direction, mine needs more mental concentration.”  
Now all of the group is confused.  
_“Right now they are just as confused as they were before I explained to them what magic is.”_  
“It’s hard to explain. My magic is like… mist that only I can see. It swirls around me and every living thing. I just… focus on the mist and use it to manipulate other things.”  
I look towards the forest and see acorns and pinecones on the ground.  
“I could show you guys what I mean… if that’s okay with you?”

I notice the tall pine and oak trees surround the forest and frown.   
_“I don’t know if I have enough energy to do this.”_  
I look towards the others and they look at me defensively, like I’m going to use magic against them. They look on edge, until the knight with long chestnut hair, Gwaine, motions toward me.  
“I say we let her have a go,” he walks over to Arthur and puts an arm around him,” what do you say, princess. Should we have a bit of fun?”  
Arthur shrugs away from Gwaine and punches him in the arm. He then looks back at me.  
“You may proceed.”  
I nod and look towards the forest.  
_“Alright, here goes nothing.”_


	6. Trees, Meadows, and Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex takes the knights and company to their new home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing except my own characters. 
> 
> Okay so a new week brings a new chapter! Enjoy.

I walk over to the forest edge. I look around the ground until I see a small acorn. I pick it up and walk towards the group. I stop about ten feet away from them, and drop to my knees. I dig two fingers into the dirt and make a small hole. I place the acorn into the hole, I stand up, and walk toward the lake. I make it to the shore, magic pulsating throughout the water. I bend over and cup my hands in the water. I feel the raw energy swirling in my hands as I walk the water towards the acorn. I carefully pour the lake water into the hole and cover the acorn and water with dirt. I step back three feet, and sit crossed legged on the wet grass, dewy from the morning mist that layers the field. I take a deep breath and begin.

I force my magic to surround me. Its intense heat swirling around me like wind. I hear a gasp from one of the knights behind me. It breaks me out of my concentration for just a second, but I quickly snap back.

_"Stupid knights.”_

I ignore the others and focus on my magic. I manipulate my magic to move towards the acorn. When I feel the small lifeforce of the seedling, I gently bind my magic to it. The acorn in the ground cracks open, and takes root into the ground. The roots continue to dig through the ground growing bigger and bigger, until one of the roots climbs its way out of the dirt. I smile brightly when I see the little sapling. I slowly feed my magic into the sapling, giving it energy to grow faster. Quickly, the sapling grows, growing bigger and taller. Branches shoot out of the ever thickening trunk. Small dark green leaves sprout out of the branches, while they climb the sky. When the tree is twice as thick as Percival, I pull my magic out from the tree. I smile at the ancient looking tree, and stand up.

The seemingly ancient oak tree soars high above the rest of the forest, with a trunk so thick you could hollow it and fit Percival, the massive man he is, into the tree easily. I look back at the others to see them smiling and awestruck. Gaius wasn't looking at the tree though, he was looking at me, and instead of amazement, he looked at me with deep concern. I frown at Gaius and start to walk over to him only to stumble.

_"Well, that took more than I thought it would.”_

Gaius molds his face into an expression that plants guilt into my stomach. He stares at me for a moment before speaking his mind, ”where did you get the energy to do this?”

I stare up at the top branches of the tree then back to Gaius.

"I used energy from the lake to strengthen my magic.” I walk up to the tree and lean against the thick trunk, crossing my arms, “The lake is bursting with energy from magic that it has stored throughout time. One small vial of it’s water has enough energy for me to do this,” I raise my arm and point to the seemingly ancient looking tree above me, ”I should start keeping some of it on me.”

“Maybe I should too.” Morgana says with curiosity shining in her eyes.  
I smile and reach into my jeans pocket to pull out a small vial that can hold a few mouthfuls of water. I notice at that point that my hand is covered in mud.  
I take the vial and walk over to the lake. I reach the shore and kneel over the water. I look at my reflection and see that there is mud all over my shirt. I look down and see that is covers most of my pants and all of my converses as well.

_“How did I get completely covered in mud?!”_

I tilt my head back and groan.

_“Perfect Alex.”_

I take the vial and fill it up with some of the water, and then walk over to the duffel bag. I grab it, open it up, and pull out some new clothes. I turn around with the clothes in hand and speak to the group watching my fanfare unfold.

“I’m going to change into something less dirty, then we'll go."

Lancelot looks at me confused, “Where are we going?"

I look at him dawning on my face.

_“Shit. I don't have enough room for all of them at my house. Hmm."_

I look down at the close in my hand. I look down for a few minutes before staring at the group

“I’m taking you all to Merlin’s. My house is too small for all of you to stay there, but Merlin has plenty of room at his place.”

“They're probably the reason he wanted such a big place out in the middle of nowhere. That, and he likes nature more than people.”

“I’ll be back in a little bit. Just stay here okay?”

Several heads nods in agreement.

“Cool okay.” I awkwardly turn around and walk into the forest towards the clearing the girls got changed in. I stop in the center of the clearing and took a very deep breath. I looked up in the sky and saw the sun was starting to set.

_“Shit, I’ve been here all day? Better get going before it gets dark.”_

I kick off my converses and pull off my socks. The muddy ground feeling squishy in between my toes. I pull of my Metallica shirt and see that is it covered in mud and leaves. I throw the shirt on the ground in frustration and notice that the mud soaked through my shirt and onto my bra as well.

_“Perfect. Things are just going great aren’t they?”_

I pull out my phone and wallet and place them on a dry patch in the field. I peel off my mud soaked jeans to see that my underwear has survived. I look at the clothes I grabbed from the duffel, and pull out the pants. I set the other clothes on my now ruined Metallica shirt, and pull the dark black skinny jeans on. I pull my hair in front of me, and pull apart the clasps of my bra. Reach down towards the bundle of clothing and grab the black t-shirt bra I thankfully brought. I try to put it on but my hair keeps getting in the way, so i pull in a quick messy bun. Finally after getting the damn bra on, I reach towards the clean shirt. I’m about to pull it over my head when I hear a voice calling in the distance.

"Hey Alexandria, Morgana wanted to know if-,”

I turn around startled Arthur is staring at me, mouth open in a state of shock. He closes his mouth and looks at me with concern. We stare at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Arthur finally pulls himself out of his stupor and asks.

"How did you get those?”

I frown and reach behind me to feel my back. Long jagged scars sweep down my back at varying angles. Burn wounds travel down the sides of my torso and across my stomach. He could also mean the tattoo. Two large wings take up my entire back end down a little past my thighs. One wing is whole and uninjured, while the other one is torn and broken. The broken one looks even more destroyed by the many scars tearing through it. I drop my hand to my side.

_“Shit. I should have changed when I got to Merlin’s”_

I ignore Arthur and grab the black long sleeve Anarchy tshirt. I put it on and grab my black converse and put them on as well. I then grab my stuff and start walking back to the others. Just when I make it to the edge of the clearing Arthur grabs my arm to stop me.

“How did you get those,” he asks me again more forcefully.

I look up at him, then pull the tie out of my hair and let it fall down.

“People are cruel Arthur,” I pull my arm free and continue to walk through the forest, ”and I learned just how cruel they can be.”

I march through the forest, rage apparent on my face. Arthur is close behind me. I walk into the clearing and go over to the duffel. I throw my dirty clothes in it along with the vial, then sling its strap around my shoulder. I turn around and grab the box I left on the ground earlier. I stand up and turn to Morgana, remembering what Arthur was saying to me earlier.

“Arthur said you needed something.” I say through my teeth.

_“Damn it. Why did Arthur have to come into the stinkin’ clearing and see my scars!. Ugh, it doesn't matter, it happened. I just need to stay calm.”_

“Um...Yeah...Um, I don’t think these shoes fit.” I look at her boots. They are black calf high boots with laces tied in the back. I look at the laces and see they are tied painfully tight.

"The laces on the back of the boots can be loosened.” I walk over to her, put the box down, and help her fix the boots. When they fit her properly, I pick the box and turn to the group. I smile at them hiding my rage.

“Okay. everybody ready?”

“Are you alright?” Guinevere asked me with obvious concern across her face.

“Yes I’m fine, just Arthur… ,” I struggle to find the right words to say.

“I saw her back and she had a really big tattoo on it, and it surprised me.” Arthur spoke to the rest of the group.

“Yeah,” I agree with his lie,”I just feel self conscious about it is all.”

Lancelot looks at me confused, “if you don’t like it then why did you get it?”

I breath in deeply, “It reminds me of something important that I don’t want to forget."

I walk closer to the group and stand in the center of all of them.

"Alright, the house is too far away to travel by foot, so we will be using magic.”

I shove the box into Percival’s hands and hold my other hand out. “I suggest you close yours eyes when I tell you to. Unless of course, you like puking your brains out.” I gesture everyone to come closer and instruct them, ”for this to work you have to hold on to me,” I place my left hand on Percival’s right forearm and direct my attention to the group again. “If you let go you could get severely hurt, or end up in a different place than everyone else.” The group stared at me with blank faces. “Well come on,” I say impatiently, “I want to leave here before dark.” I look up to the sky to see the sun has almost completely set leaving purple and orange streaks behind before they bleed into complete blackness."

_“I’ve wasted too much time here.”_

I hold my hand out to the closest person near me, Guinevere, and gesture her to grab it. Guinevere smiles then grabs my hand. The others then start to follow.Gwaine stands behind percival and grasps my right shoulder, Lancelot grabs my left arm and Gaius grabs my other shoulder. Morgana and Elyan grab my left arm, Elyan holding on a little too tightly, and I stare at Arthur. Arthur looks at me with questioning eyes. He stares at my back and starts walking towards me. He carefully rests his hand on the small of my back. My mouth forms a hard line at the carefulness Arthur takes, like I’m a porcelain doll that’s about to shatter. I wince at the sudden pressure on my arm and see Elyan is squeezing it hard.

“Hey relax,or you’re gonna pull my arm off!”

Elyan's grip relaxes slightly and I focus on the rest of the group.

“Remember to keep your eyes closed and hold on to me.”

I close my eyes and think of the foyer in the house.

_“No wait. If I put us in the house, someone might land in a wall.”_

I move my focus to the meadow by the house instead. I think of the yellowish green grass that comes up to my knees, wet and sticky from the mist that lightly layers the meadow in the morning. I think of the purple, blue, and white wildflowers the dot the large meadow, the ones Merlin crushes up for paint and various remedies. I think of the large aspen tree with a bench carved into the base, worn out with the weather and time. I remember the thick smell of pollen and how it’s so strong, it almost chokes you. I think of the dense forest that wraps around the meadow shaping it into a large circle, and the birds that sing throughout its entirety. Lastly I think of the sunset. All of the warm reds and oranges melting together, and the dark purple that bleeds into it from below. I smile at the image in my head. A large popping noise is heard and the grips of the others tighten. All of a sudden, I feel grass sticking to my legs, and a bee zooming by. Smiling serenely, I shirk out of the others grasps and open my eyes.

I’m about to stare at the beautiful scene around me for a second, but I hear the sound of someone retching. I turn around to see Gwaine bent over in the grass, puking violently. I scrunch up my face in disgust, as do some of the others, and cross my arms.

“I told you to keep your eyes closed, but did you listen?”

Gwaine stares at me with hatred in his eyes. He lifts head head like he was about to retort, but then ducks his head back into the grass and pukes. A frown covers my face.

“No, I guess you didn’t listen.”

I look around to see if the rest of them are okay, and notice the meadow more carefully. The grass is shorter, about to my mid calf, and it’s more brown than green. Hardly any flowers are in the meadow, and the ones that are here are wilted. The forest is dark and depressing, with birds singing low mourning calls. The aspen tree looks old and faded, like it's on it's last few stages of life. I turn in a circle, staring at the meadow bewildered.

_"What is happening here? Merlin would never let his meadow look like this.”_

I shake my head and ignore the thoughts running through it. I turn around and head toward the edge of the clearing. At the edge hidden by the tall grass is a path overgrown with weeds and vines. I raise my hand high in the air and feel the energy in the plants. With a flash of gold from my eyes, the vines and grass recede, making the path possible to traverse. I gesture over to others and start down the path. We walk down the forest surrounded path until we see a break in the tree line. I slow down a little to let the others go ahead and, so I can take a breather. While no one is looking, I reach into the duffel and pull out the vial of lake water. I take a sip of it then slip it back into the duffel. Energy flows through me and wakes me up a little.

_“Whoa, I need to get more of that stuff.”_

We walk through a clearing and see a house. It's a large two story Victorian style house with cream colored paneling that's in desperate need of a paint job. A large darkwood porch wraps around the entire house, and every several feet a wooden post supports the black shingled roof that slants into a triangle. In the front left corner of the house is a spire that is capped with a cone shaped roof. Ivy covers the spire, almost completely covering the small windows that dot it. A balcony wraps itself around the house above the porch for the second level. A small circular window on the top center of the house makes it look like it has three levels.

“What?” I asked casually to the group. The others are staring at the house like it's a castle.

"This is Merlin’s?” Morgana asks surprised.

“I bought it for him, when I first met him. I never knew why he wanted such a large house in the middle of nowhere.”  
The others look at me amazed.

“What? My others aren't this big. Most houses aren't. He just really liked this one.”

“You have more than one?” Gaius asked astonished.

“Yeah, technically this house is mine too. I own five, but most of them my friends and family stay in.”

The group still look at me amazed.

“Is it common to have more than one house in this time?” Elyan asked.

I shake my head, “No, but I own a share in a large company so I'm pretty wealthy.” I look up and see that the moon is starting to rise and is visible through the forest.

"Let's go inside, it's getting dark.”

We walk up the old faded porch steps and stop in front of an old door, it's black paint chipped off in certain places. I reach for the handle and find it locked. I pull some magic around the door and focus it on the lock. A clicking noise is heard and the door opens.I smile and walk through the door.

The others follow me into a sparsely furnished foyer. In front of the door is an ancient looking rug that has been well preserved. To the left is two doors. One door is curved slightly to match the curves of the wall. The other in the far corner. On the right side are large double doors open slightly to show a small library behind them. In the center of the foyer is a large chandelier. The chandelier has only one small light. Surrounding the light is a bunch of tiny crystals. The crystals bounce the light around making the tiny light have the ability to light the entire room. At the end of the foyer across from the front door is another set of double doors. I stride across the worn out dark wood floors and open the double doors. We walk into a large living room. The far side of the room has a large doorway leading to a spacious kitchen. On the right is a set of double doors leading to a large dining room big enough to seat twelve. In the center of the room is a bunch of squishy chairs and couches surrounding a circular fireplace. To the left of the room is an intricate spiral staircase leading to the second floor. I walk closer to the fireplace and lift my hand.

“Bearne."

A fire leaps to life. I walk over to a worn out red arm chair a mind collapse into it.  
The others follow in suit and sit in the other chairs and couches.

“Just put it on the end table next to you Perceval.”

Perceval nods then places the box on the table.

“Alright, There are six guest rooms, and eight of you. Arthur, you and Guinevere can share Merlin’s room and the others can have the guest rooms.”

Arthur and Guinevere look at each other then at me.

“What? Do married couples not share beds in your time?” I say with a sarcastic grin gracing my face.

Arthur looks at me smiling.

“We are not married anymore. I released her from our marriage at the lake while you changed.”

I stare at them surprised.

“What? Why?”

Lancelot, who is sitting next to Guinevere, grabs her hand.

“Oh well that answers my question."

Okay then, Arthur you can still take Merlin’s room. You two,” I say pointing at Lancelot and Guinevere,” can take the room in the far left corner. The rest of you can decide on who sleeps in what room.” I stare at them with a fierce gaze,

“No one is allowed into any doors that curve. Those are my rooms and they are off limits. Same goes with Merlin’s floor. Arthur is the only one allowed up there, and it's only to sleep in Merlin's bedroom.” I stand up and stretch my arms. “Okay, I'll bring pajamas into your rooms for the night. In the morning just put the clothes you have now back on and meet in the kitchen. We’ll have breakfast and then I’ll explain things better to you. Until then I bid you all goodnight.”

"You're going to retire?” Gaius asks.

I look out the window and see that it pitch black.

I look at Gaius and sigh.

“I have had a really long day, and I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, so I'm running on fumes and need to crash.”  
The others look at me with blank looks.

"I had a hard day at work yesterday and had to work most of the night. I'm tired and need sleep.”

Realization dawns across the ancients’ faces.

I motion for the others to follow, “Come on. I’ll show you your rooms.” We march up the steps and find ourselves in a small common room with a few chairs and a half circle fireplace against the wall. On either side of the fireplace is two hallways with six doors in each hallway.

“The doors inside of your room lead to the restroom. You share the restroom with other people so knock before you enter. To lock your doors just push the button on the knob. Turn the knob to unlock it.” I turn to the left and point to another smaller spiral staircase, “Those stairs lead to Merlin’s floor, just please don’t touch anything up there. I'll see you in the morning.”

I turn towards the right of the larger staircase and walk over to a curved door. I open it and walk into a large bathroom. Closing the door behind me I walk over to a clothes hamper and a clean custom made dresser that fits perfectly into the curving wall. I grab a pair of sweats and a tank top, and change into them. I then root through the pockets of my jeans and pull out my wallet and phone. I throw my old dirty clothes into the hamper and lay my boots next to it. I walk across the cold, white, stone floor and stare at round white pool built into the floor at the center of the room

_“I’m too tired for a bath tonight. I'll just take a shower in the morning.”_

I reach into a small cubby next to the tub and grab the bottle of rum I hide in it. I break open the seal and take a nice long drink straight from the bottle.

I look at the side of the wall across from me. I raise my right hand and shout,“staeger.”

The floor melts into stairs leading downwards. I drag my feet down them and find myself in my bedroom. I drag myself over to the large circular bed with a soft dark green duvet and fall face first into it.

_"Please let this be a dream.”_

Frustrated I let out a scream almost completely muffled by the thick blanket. I push myself forward and rest my head on the pillows. I turn around, look at the ceiling, and take a sip from the bottle. I throw my wallet on an end table and start playing with my phone. Once in awhile I’ll take a shot of rum. I’m halfway through the bottle when I set it down.

_"They've all probably found rooms now. Merlin has a bunch a clothes in boxes upstairs, they can use those.”_

Realization dawns and deep rage settles into me.

_"He knew they would come and he would’ve brought them here.”_

I angrily throw my phone and wallet my nightstand and look at the photo on it. Merlin is sitting on the seat in the meadow with Jadeanne waving. I sigh.

_"I better get them some clothes.”_

I sit in the middle of my bed cross legged and close my eyes. I send my mind out throughout the house and feel the boxes of clothes in the corner of Merlin's main room buried by books.

“Gemóf scrúdfultum ricea!”

My eyes flash gold and I collapse into my bed panting heavily.

_"I haven't used this much magic in years. Not enough to need words.”_

I stare at the ceiling and wait for my breath to even out. It's a few minutes before my phone goes off, blaring it's loud ringtone. I pick it up and answer.

"Hello?"

"Alex where are you?” I sit smile at ceiling.

"Hello Jadeanne. How's New York?”

“James was fine by the time I got there so I went home. Where are you?”

“I’m currently at Merlin's.”

“Why?”

“He's gotten into some trouble again.”

“Do you want me to come over?” Jadeanne asks with concern.

“No not yet I want to assess the situation more.”

I pull the bottle of rum from the side of my bed and take a long drink from it.

“Shit babe, what has Merlin gotten me into?"

“I don't know but it’s something big if you had to go to a different continent, ” Jadeanne pauses in thought, “are you sure you don't want me to come?”

I take another sip of rum.

“No.It's fine. I'll see you when I get home. Love you, bye.”

I hang up and finish the bottle. I place my phone and the bottle on the end table and turn out the lights.

_"Why did this happen Merlin?”_

With that I close my eyes and pass out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Be sure to comment and leave a kudos if you liked it! 
> 
> I bid you all a goodnight.


	7. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and the others start to adjust to their new lives.  
> Lots of fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is the last chapter before we get into some real juicy plot stuff.  
> Also, I hope any of you readers who were affected by Irma are safe.  
> On to the chapter!

* * *

 

_**Beep** _

_**Beep** _

_**Beep** _

_**Beep** _

I moan and pull my duvet over my head.

_“I can't believe I didn't turn off the alarm.”_

I reach over to my right and feel for the alarm clock. When I don't feel it I sit up shocked.

I look around the circular room and stare out the large window across the room to see a dense forest.

_“What? Why am I at Merlin's?”_

“Holy shit.” Memories of the previous day flood into my head.

“Damn it!” I pull off my covers and rush out of the curved door into the foyer. The smell of something burning hitting me in the face. I race into the living room to see a group of young adults sitting around an old man who is stirring something in a blackened pot over the fireplace. I dash over to the fire while forcing my magic to smother the flames. I then turn off the fire alarm that was beeping hysterically.

“What are you doing?!”

Gaius turn around to look at me surprised. I reach over to him and grab the blackened pot and spoon from his hands.

“I'm terribly sorry,” Gaius says with a sincere face, ”I don't know why it burned the pot like that.”

I look at the pot to see it's burned at the bottom beyond repair.

“We haven't had the need to cook over open flames in over century. We use stoves now.” I hand the pot over to Morgana. “Do you know what the sink in the kitchen looks like?” Morgana nods. “Can you go place this in the one on the right?” Morgana take the pot and walks away towards the kitchen. I look around and notice that there is a person missing.

“Hey where's the blonde knight?”

The other woman tilts her head. “Do you mean Arthur? He hasn't come down yet.”

I rub my eyes with one hand then look up. “Alright give me thirty minutes to get Arthur and clean up, and then I'll make breakfast. Stay in the kitchen and don't touch anything okay?”

I point to the duffel I left on the table.

“There's books in there about modern tech,  grab some and read them while you wait.”

I turn around and walk back to my room. I look around and frown.

_“I really need to clean this place”_

The room is a giant circle with pale gray walls and dark wood flooring. All of the furniture is custom made to fit the curved edges of the walls.

A large window across from me shows a breathtaking scene of a forest. Below that is a shelf crammed full of book, with a Squishy purple cushion thrown on top to make it function as a bench as well. The walls are plastered with posters and photos of random places and people. I walk over to the circular bed on the wall across from the window, pull the duvet  and pillows off the floor, and start to make the bed. Once it looks decent, I walk over to a large, oddly shaped dresser. The dresser is dark wood drawer, similar to the floor, built into the wall. The placement makes them look like a staircase going up. I open the drawers and pulls out some clothing. I take a step back and look at the wall. I push my magic against it and the wall above the drawers morph into steps, fitting above the drawers perfectly.

I climb up the stairs into the bathroom and wave my hand behind me. The stairs melt back into the wall and the floor becomes whole again. I take my clothes and set them in the cupboard next to the hamper. I then walk over to the bath tub and bend down next to it. On the floor on the edge of the tub are two faucets and a button. I turn the left knob on and water starts to run down into the tub from four taps that are evenly spaced throughout the bath. I adjust the water to a comfortable temperature and press the button. The water stops running from the bath and starts to fall from a tap in the ceiling making it look like it’s raining in the tub. I undress, throwing my clothes into the hamper, and take a quick shower. Once I’m done, I turn off the water and step out of the tub. I walk over to the cupboard and pull out two towels from the shelf above the clothes I brought. I wrap one around me, and use the other to wrap my hair in. When I wrap my hair tightly in the towel, I take my clothes and start getting dressed. Before leave the bathroom I look at the mirror on the back of the door.

_“I haven’t worn this in forever.”_

I pulled out a dark purple cotton tunic, with long sleeves that are tied with back ribbon at the elbow then begin to taper out. The ends of the sleeves have black ribbon as well. The front of the tunic is a low neck with black ribbon looping down the front to form a corset like look. The tunic stops at mid thigh. Underneath I have black leather leggings that have black panels running down the side. I walk over to a sink against the far side and open a chest next to it. I pull out a pair of black moto boots and shove my feet into them. I close the chest and look up up into the mirror above the sink. My dark brown hair reaches down to my waist in a tangled mess. I grab my comb on the sink and roughly pull out the knots. I then grab a hair tie off of the sink and pull my hair into a loose french braid.

_“At least my hair is more manageable.”_

I put my comb back on the sink and walk out into the second floor’s common room.

I walk over to the stairs and climb the ones going up into Merlin’s floor. The room is dark, the only light coming in is from the small circular window above a table full of dried out or dead herbs. Spiderwebs and dust cover every corner and surface, as well as books. Shelves of books cover every wall and are crammed completely full. Towers of books are on every surface and even on the floor. Different languages can be seen on many of the covers. The whole room has a abandoned library feel.

I walk over to table and cringe at the smell. I pick up all of the dead plants and throw them into a wastebasket under the table. I then take the dried plants and carefully place them into a small box That was on the table. I walk to two doors on the others side of the room, careful not to knock over the book towers. I walk up to the door on the left and knock.

“Arthur.” No one responds. I bang on the door again, “Arthur come on wake up.” Again there is no response. I open up the door and look in. The room is completely contrasting the one before. The room is light and spacious with gray walls and dark wood flooring. In the left corner next to the door is a comfy chair and foot rest neatly placed on top of a deep blue rug. The leather jacket neatly placed onto the arm of the chair. To the right of the door is a  white desk and chair with a modern desktop. In the center of the back wall is a king size bed with a modern white baseboard and deep blue duvet, which was currently halfway off the bed. In the bed itself tangled up in a mess of white sheets is Arthur, dead asleep. I walk over to the bed and shove the knight.

“Arthur, get up,” I shake his shoulder, “come on sunshine, you gotta get up. We got things to do.”

Arthur groans then sits up slowly. He stares at me for a few seconds before he jumps out of bed.

“Who are you?”

I roll my eyes and start picking up clothes from the floor. He takes a defensive step towards me.

“Who are you?”

I walk up to him and shove the clothes into his arms.

“You remember last night?”

Arthur looks at me confused then his eyes light up in knowing. “You’re Alexandria right?”

I cross my arms and nod. "Get dressed and we’ll go down with the rest to get some breakfast.”

He looks at me confused, “I don’t eat in here?”

I look at him incredulously. “Why would you want to eat by yourself?”

Arthur looks at me contemplating something, then starts to get dressed. Once he puts everything on we head downstairs. We walk through the rustic living room and into a large modern kitchen. The others are sitting around a large center island, listening to Gaius read about what a car is.

“Gaius, that's enough for now thank you.” He stops talking and the others look at me.

“Alright, let’s see what we have to work with. I walk over to a large stainless steel fridge and open it up to see the fridge completely barren besides several bottles of vodka and a half empty carton of orange juice. I scowl and pull out the alcohol. I carry them over to the island and open a cabinet to reveal a trash can. I then swiftly place the bottles into the trash can.

“Okay so Merlin has no food, so we are just going to have to get some more.”

I look at the others and think for a minute.

I point to the clear glass door at the end of the kitchen, “those glass doors right there lead to a garden. While I get things we don’t have here, you can pick some stuff for all of us to have and clean it. Try to get spinach, bell peppers, onions, and potatoes.”

Morgana looks at the door then at me. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to the market to get the rest.”

Gwaine looks at me and smiles. “Well this should be an adventure! I wish to join you.”

I frown and shake my head. “No. I can’t deal with you asking me fifty thousand questions. I’ll go by myself, “I turn towards Gaius and rest a hand on his shoulder, “please make sure no one burns down the house.”

I walk towards one of the drawers built into the island and pull out some cash. I leave the kitchen and walk out into the foyer.

“I’m leaving now.”

I walk out the front door and around the side of the house to a worn down path. I follow it until I see a large building. When I see the building I stop and stare. What used to be the garage was now a stable currently housing four large mares.

“What the fuck?” I walk behind it to to see my truck that was usually kept here nowhere in sight.

“Oh when Merlin gets back, I’m gonna kill him.”

I take a few steps back from the stable and think of the outside market a twenty minute drive away. With a loud pop I appear in a secluded corner. I duck out of the small space and find myself in a large open market. I walk along the stalls and pay for things I need, soon I have bags full of eggs, milk, cheese, bacon, sausage, fresh bread, and a few different jams, along with more food to last the large crowd for a week. I’m about to go back to the corner and leave when I see a stall selling organic hygiene products.

_“I might as well get them while I’m here.”_

I walk over to the stall and purchase hairbrushes, combs, soap, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant. After I pay, I then walk over to the corner and jump to the house.

I lug the bags up the steps and stand in front of the door. I use my magic to open the door, and I walk in, kicking the door shut behind me. I walk through the house into the kitchen to see Guinevere and Lancelot washing vegetables while the other were listening to Morgana read what electricity is.

“That's enough,” The others looks at me saddened. “She can finish later.”

I walk up to the counter and place the bags on the counter. I take the bag full of hygiene products and throw it onto one of the living room couches. I walk back into the kitchen to see everyone has moved. Gwen has shifted next to Gaius, who is looking through a cookbook. Arthur and Gwaine are at the sink now arguing over a pepper, everyone else is sitting around the counter watching the fight. I walk over to the two knights and smack them on the head.

“Both of these are bell peppers, they are just different colors.”

I look back at the others and clap my hands together. “Let’s get started shall we?”

I pull out pans, pots, and cutting boards from the cabinets above the sink. I set them on the island and pull out several bowls as well. I take two cutting boards and place them on the end of the island. I then grab the onions and peppers and place them next to the boards. I also take two bowls and place them by the boards.  I walk over to the counters against the wall and pull two knives out from the block resting on the counter. I walk back over to the island and grab a pepper. I turn around and look at the group.

“Watch me now.” I take the pepper and cut it into small chunks then throw it into a bowl, I do the same thing to an onion.

“Okay, who wants to cut the rest of these?”

Gwen and Morgana walk to the boards. I hand one knife to each of them then walk over to the counters.

“Gwaine, you can cut the potatoes.” Gwaine looks at me then walks over to where I am. I take another cutting board and knife and cut a potato into quarter chunks. I throw it into a large bowl and then hand the knife to Gwaine. I walk to the counter space next to the stove and grab a large mixing bowl. I take some egg cartons and crack most of them into the bowl. I take the leftover eggs and stick them in the fridge. I grab the cream from the counter and pour some into the bowl with the egss. I grab the cheese and shred it in with the egg. I take the rest of the cream and cheese and put those in the fridge as well. I take out a large skillet and place it on the stove. I put some butter in the pan and start mixing the eggs together. Once the butter is completely melted, I pour the mixture into the pan and stir it with a rubber spatula. Once the eggs start heating up, I hand the spatula to Lancelot.

“Keep stirring this.”

I go back the the island and pull out a head of spinach. I chop that up and throw it in with the eggs. I the take another skillet and fill it with oil. I place it on the stove and turn around.

“When you’re done cutting, place the bowls right here,” I point to the area to the left of the stove top, “and go wait with the others.”

Soon three bowls are placed next to me. I take the potatoes and dump them into the hot oil. I then wait a few minutes before pour the peppers and onions in with them. I mix them up, then take a lid and cover them. I then take two final skillets and place them on the stove top on the island. I pull out the sausage and bacon and throw them on the skillets. I turn around talk to Elyan and Percival.

“Can you cook these?” Both men nod then start working. I look at the others and frown.

“You three can set the table if you want.” I point to the cabinets at the end of the island, “plates and napkins are in there,” I point to a drawer next to the fridge,” silverware in there.”

Gaius, Morgana, and Gwen get up and go to the cabinet I pointed to, Arthur goes to follow them but I grab his arm.

“What,” Arthur asks confused, “you said to set the table.”

I shake my head and lead him to the counters.

“I need help making the final dish.” I leave him by the counter and pull out milk, flour, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and butter. I take the armful of ingredients and place them on the counter next to Arthur. I then grab two bowls, spoons, and a baking pan. I set the baking pan to the side and grab one of the bowls. I take the bowl and add the, buttermilk,baking powder, salt, and eggs. I grab a wooden spoon and hand it to Arthur

“Start mixing.”

Arthur takes the spoon and starts quickly mixing the dough, sloshing ingredients outside of it. I grab his hand and show him how to mix it properly. Once he gets the hang of it I slowly start to to add flour until the dough stops sticking to the sides of the bowl. I stop Arthur from over mixing it and push the bowl to the side. I then grab a handful of flour and spread it across the counter.

“Someone take the eggs and potatoes off the heat.” I shout behind me and soon after I can hear the dragging of pans. I look over to arthur and smile.

“Okay to grab that thing right there and coat it in flour.” Arthur looks to his right and grabs the rolling pin, covering it in flour. I take the dough from the the bowl and set it on the counter. I raise my hand, and with a flash the dough quickly rises to twice its size. I grab the rolling pin from Arthur and flatten out the dough. I then take a knife and cut into twenty individual strips. I move over to the section of the counter I'm using that is free of flour, and grab the second bowl. I add melted butter and cinnamon sugar to it. I move the bowl over to the dough and brush the mixture onto both sides of the dough. I take the strips and roll them one by one, Arthur mimicking me, until i have twenty small rolls. I place the rolls on the baking pan and walk over to the island. I grab the cream cheese and milk, then walk back to the bowls. Using the bowl that I used for the butter, I put the cream cheese and milk in it. I then open a cabinet above me and pull out vanilla extract and powdered sugar. I whisk these together until it turns into a syrupy glaze. I leave the bowl on the table and grab the pan. I take the pan over to the oven and put it in on 325 degrees. When I close the oven, I look at Arthur.

“Okay so those take about fifteen minutes to cook, Until then we could make coffee and toast.”

I go over to the the island and pull out the toaster and coffee maker. I fill the coffee maker up and turn it on. I grab the bread loaves and slice them up before putting a bunch of pieces into the toaster. I turn around and look at Arthur.

“When the toast pops up, put those on the plate right here,” I point to a serving plate, “and add more to the toaster then press the lever down until it clicks.”

Arthur nods and looks at the toaster. I walk over to Elyan and Percival who just finished the bacon and sausage. I grab the two platters and place them on the large table on the far end of the kitchen. I go over to the cabinet and pull out three pitchers. I fill up one pitcher with ice water and the other two with milk and orange juice. I place those on the table and add strawberry and grape jam jars. Gwaine comes and places the potatoes on the table and sits down with the girls and Gaius. Lancelot follows him with the eggs. Elyan and Percival sit down as well. I look to see Arthur coming over with the toast and sits down. I walk over to the oven and pull out the rolls. I pull out a serving dish and place them on it. I then take the syrup and pour it over the rolls. I grab the plate and set it down on the table with the others.

“You guys can start. I’ll just be a second.” The others start digging into and I walk over to the coffee pot. I pull out a white mug and pour some of the liquid into it. I grab the sugar off the back counter and add a large amount of it into the coffee. I walk back to the table and sit down between Arthur and Gaius on the bench style seat. I fill my coffee with milk, then start getting food. I eat silently and listen to the other catch up with each other. When I’m about halfway done I look up to see Gaius looking at me funny.

“You know it's rude to stare,” he still looks at me curiously, “what, is it what I’m drinking? It’s just coffee.”

Gaius shakes his head

“Then what?” I look at him irritated.

“Why are you not eating everything?”

I look down at my plate to see potatoes, sticky buns, and toast, but no eggs,  bacon or sausage. I smile.

“I guess I’m more like Merlin than I thought.” I grab my coffee and take a sip.

“What do you mean?” Gaius says confused.

“Merlin doesn’t eat meat either.”  
“That’s not true,” Arthur spoke up, “he ate it all the time.”

“He hasn’t ate meat in five-hundred years.”

“Why?” Lancelot asked.

“The same reason I don’t. It hurts too much.”

“Merlin has never had any problems eating meat before,” Elyan pointed out.

“It is mentally painful, not physically.”

Elyan look at me with a blank stare. “I still don’t understand.”

I set down my coffee cup and look at him. “How did I make the tree?”

Elyan stared at me perplexed. “What do you mean,” he asked me hesitantly.

“How did I make the tree? My magic needs energy to make things, so how did I make the tree?”

Elyan looks down at his late deep in thought, unable to answer me. It was Percival who responded.

“You took energy from the lake and gave it to the seed.”

I look at percival and nod, taking another bite of food.

“Yes exactly. But, what I used energy from the fish instead? I would have to kill a thousand to make that tree.”

The others stare at me in shock, but I ignore them and keep talking.

“I can feel the life force of every living thing around me. Not just animals and people, but plants as well. I can even feel the energy of wind and water moving.”

“That’s amazing. How can you do that?” Morgana exclaimed.

I smile and shake my head, “It's just how my magic is. Now think of this; you are in the middle of a battle and need to save another ally, but you don’t have enough energy on your own to save them. You feel around and sense a den of rabbits in the field you're fighting on. So, you take some energy from them to use to fight, but you take too much. Half of the rabbit den dies from you taking their energy. You can feel their life leaving their bodies. It changes your perspective of life. Every time I eat meat, all I can think of is the poor animal's soul vanishing. I can still eat eggs though, they never were alive to begin with.”

I then take my fork and take some of the eggs from the platter. I stick some in my mouth, and grimace.

_“Damn, I forgot about the peppers.”_

I quickly spit the eggs out into my napkin, and take a swig of coffee.

“I thought you said you could eat eggs.” Gwaine called out.

“I can, I just don’t like peppers.”

I stand up and take my plate to the sink, where I rinse it off and and put it in the dishwasher.

The others watch me then copy my actions. I walk back to the table and grab my coffee.

“Well, now that we are all finished, let’s figure out this whole destiny thing.”

“Wait,” Gwaine calls.

I stop and turn around to look at him.

“What is coffee?”

I smile and look at him, “coffee is a drink people use to stay awake, though some people drink it because they like the taste,” I look at the pot and smile, “would anyone like to try some?”

Gwaine smiles and steps forward, “sounds like fun.”

Morgana steps forward as well. “I would also like to try it.”

I walk over to the pot and look at the two.

“Plain or creamy,” I call out to them.

“Plain,” Gwaine shouts. Morgana walks over to me instead of shouting

“I will try creamy I guess?” She asks warily

I grab two mugs, and set them on the island. I fill both of them up with coffee. I walk over to the fridge and look over to Morgana.

“Milk or cream?”

Morgana stares a me. “Uhh cream?”

I pull out the cream and pour a decent amount into her mug. I then add a small bit of sugar. I mix it all up and hand the two mugs to Gwaine and Morgana.

Gwaine takes his first sip then gags. “Ugh it's so bitter! How can people drink this?”

Morgana takes a sip of hers and looks at Gwaine confused. “I think it's sweet.”

Gwaine looks at her cup then at me. “What magic is this?”

I lean against the island and laugh. “You said you wanted plain coffee, so I gave you plain coffee. I added sugar and cream to Morgana’s”

Morgana hands Gwaine her mug, and he took a large gulp. “Wow, thats amazing.”

Everyone started to pass around both mugs, trying the coffee. When Arthur takes a sip he puts down the cup and stares at me.

“Alex, why were you at the lake instead of Merlin!" Arthur stares at me angrily. The others quiet down and stare at me.

I set my coffee down and stare back at him.

“The reason I was there? Well it's actually really simple,” I take a deep breath and stare at the at the ancient king, “Merlin is my father.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anybody is curious, the recipes I described are real and really good. Okay well you the rest; comment, leave a kudos, blah blah blah. Have a good week!


	8. Secrets and Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and the gang learn more about each other (specifically Alex and Merlin) and start the search for Merlin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay wow. I have no exscuse as to why this is late. The next chapter will probably be late as well, because of my stupid work schedule. Well anyways, onto the chapter.
> 
> New edit: fixed some stuff up and still having some severe writers block.

  * * * *




 

The whole kitchen fell silent. I stare down at my coffee and wait for the onslaught of questions. “When did Merlin have a kid?” Elyan asked.

“Well, I'm twenty-eight so.” I shrug.

“Twenty-eight,” Lancelot asked incredulously, “you look 16.”

I glare at him and sharply reply, “magic makes me young, like Merlin. He looks like he's in his twenties and he’s over a thousand years old.”

“Who did he have a kid with!?” Morgana shouted. “My mom? She's a Druid named Athena.”

All of a sudden everyone is shouting questions over each other trying to be heard. It goes on like this for a while.

“Please,” I shout over the others, “let me just explain.” But no one hears me and they continue to shout.

“Why?!” Arthur shouts and everyone else falls silent. “Why did Merlin have you?”

I stare at Arthur shocked. His face showed anger I have never seen before. I sigh and lean against the counter.  
“Merlin didn't plan on actually being my father. He was a surrogate. He met my mom while traveling and become good friends with her. She begged him to help her and her husband have a child. Merlin agreed only if he could give me my first name and I didn't find out who was my real father. Of course, my mother agreed. Nine months later I was born. I didn't know Merlin was my father until about eight years ago.”

Arthur’s rage faltered slightly, but he continued to question me with fury in his eyes “So Merlin never married?”

I stare at Arthur confused, “No, not that I know of. Why would that matter?”  
Arthur crossed his arms and stared me down. Although rage was apparent throughout his entire body, his eyes showed something different. Was it relief?

“How do you know he is your father if you weren't allowed to know who he was?” Arthur growled.

I look down to the ground and frown. “Things… happened when I was a child and my mom decided it was best for me to know.”

“How did you find him?” Gwen asked curiously.

I smile and look at her before speaking. “It was actually really simple, I let my magic lead me to him. I wound up in some bar on the other side of the country. I couldn't find him inside so I left. Walking down the street I saw a brawl in an alleyway. So, I picked up the man who was unconscious and grabbed his wallet. His ID said his name was Martin Emery and he lived nearby, so I took him to his apartment and stayed till he woke up,” I laugh a little and keep going, “Boy was he surprised to see me. After that, I took him in as my family. Gave him this house, let him do anything he wanted. He even became a father to me. He apprenticed me in magic, taught me history and science. I actually started to love him like family.”

“What happened?” Lancelot asked concerned.

I frown at a memory and take a sip of coffee before continuing.  
“About six years ago Merlin went to a bar and got drugged. I stopped it before it could go bad, but he got addicted to the drug they gave him. He said the drugs helped him forget his past and find peace, He missed Camelot and all of you, and He couldn't handle the pain of you being gone. Eventually, that also led to drinking.”

"Why does that matter?” Gwaine asked me. “Drinking is perfectly normal.”

I frown and grasp my mug tighter. “Because he changed. He hid in his room most of the time. When he wasn't there, he was at a bar trying to sleep with anybody who would want to. He said he was trying to feel something he hasn't felt in a long time.”

“What was that?” Gwen asked.

I look at her and shake my head.  
“I don't know. He never told me.”

Gaius looks at me with so much sadness it hurts. “How bad did he get?”

I look up and smile slightly. “Not far,” I drop my head again, “after some trouble happened to me four years ago, he got better to help me. He stopped doing drugs, but he still drinks too much and sleeps with too many people.”

“Where do you think he is right now?” Elyan asked.

“I don't know honestly. Last time I saw him he said he was getting a surprise for me and he would be back as soon as he could.”

"When was this?” Morgana asked while taking a sip from the sweet coffee floating around the room.

"A month maybe?” The others look at me shocked.

"He been gone for a month and you haven't thought maybe something's wrong?”

I scowl and look up. “He's been gone for longer before. I didn't think anything of it until I had a dragon shout cryptic bullshit in my ear.” Just then my phone starts blasting hard rock. I push my phone out of my back pocket and answer it.

"Alex?” The voice on the phone asked concerned.

"Hey Jadeanne what's up?”

"I just wanted to see if you're okay.”

"I'm fine, just talking about some heavy stuff. You have amazing timing though. Can you do me a favor?”

"Yeah, what’s up?”

I frown and bite my bottom lip. Contemplating on what to ask.

"Hello? Earth to Alex.”

I shake out of my thoughts.  
“Sorry, can you call the hotel we set Merlin up in and see what's going on with him?”

Jadeanne laughs, “finally going after him?”

"Can you just please look.”

Jadeanne laughs again, “Okay I'll text you if I find anything. Bye baby.”

I smile. “Bye, love you.” I hang up the phone and put it in my pocket. I look up at the others. “Okay I know things are harsh. I have Jadeanne looking to see if Merlin is still where he said he was going.“

“Who's Jadeanne?” Elyan asks.

“Jadeanne is my fiancé.”

“Woah! Congrats my friend!” Gwaine walks over and puts an arm around me.  
I shrug out of it and step closer to Gaius.

"Will we ever meet him?” Gaius asks.

"Maybe one day, but Jadeanne is actually…” I was cut off by my phone dinging. I pull it out and read the text from Jadeanne,

_'Checked into the hotel a month ago, hasn't been seen in three weeks. They don't know anything. What are you planning on doing?’_

I frown and quickly respond, _‘shit okay, the trail might have gone bad by now. I'll need a tracking spell to find him if it did. I don't know any that go that far back though. Any ideas?’_

Jadeanne replies almost instantly, _‘Iris and her sisters? Also, try security cameras.’_

I stare at my phone shocked.

_'I forgot about them. Great idea babe, thanks.’_

_'Well, you know I try. See you, Alex.’_

I slide my phone into my back pocket and look up. “Okay first, I'm going to the hotel to see if there is any clue to where Merlin is. If not, then I'll go to a few friends of mine.”

I walk it out the kitchen and make my way to the front door. I'm halfway across the living room when a hand grabs my shoulder. I turn around and stare at Arthur, who quickly let's go.

“We’re coming with you.” He says firmly with a sense of power. 

I stare at the group of eight people and frown. “I can't take all of you. I'm sorry I just can't.“

Lancelot steps forward, “I'll stay here with Gwen to watch the house while the others go with you.” Gwen stubbornly agrees as well.

I nod my head and point to the couch. “Wait there, I'll be right back” I walk into the foyer and go into my room. I point to the wall and stairs form. I run up two flights until I get to the top of the spire. A small study takes up the third floor of the spire. Shelves cover all of the walls and reach the very top of the spire. The shelves are bursting with books and strange artifacts. A small section is open where a circular window covered in moss is. A large wooden desk with a squishy dark green chair sits in front of the window. The sunlight shining through the window gives the room a soft green glow. I walk over to the shelves across from the desk and grab a bag from the lower shelf. I go to the desk and pull out a small piece of red cloth. It's fraying around the edges and the color is fading. I delve further into the small drawer in the dash and pull out two small vials. One full of a gold substance and one a deep crimson substance. I wrap them in the cloth and put it in the bag. I slide my phone and wallet in there as well then head back down the stairs. I walk out and see the group going standing in the foyer, while the others are sitting on the couch reading the journals from the boxes. I head over to the small group of three and read the titles of the books.

_"Industrial revolution, victorian era, and French revolution?”_

I walk towards the box and read some of the titles in there. They range from Merlin’s time in Camelot to the early 80’s. I dig through the box a bit until I see three journals. I quickly pull them out and read the covers.

_"World War Two, Salem Witch Trials, and Battle of Camlann?! Gods Merlin. You didn’t have to write about everything that happened to you.”_

I take the three journals and stick them in my bag. The others watch me do this and stare confused.

"Why would you take those?” Gwen asked, “what did Merlin write in those?”

I sigh and sling my bag over my shoulder, “History wasn't very kind to people who are different, and I don't think Merlin would want you to know some of the stuff that happened to him.”

Gwen nods in understanding and continues to read ‘victorian era’.

Inlook at the others and point to the foyer. “All right, you know what you have to do.”

The others grab on to me and close their eyes. Gwaine squeezes his tight and I laugh lightly. I turn my head to look at Gwen and Lancelot. “We'll be back soon.”

With that I close my eyes and think of the secluded alley next to the hotel Merlin is staying at. With a pop, I hear the sounds of cars honking and people talking. I open my eyes and look at the rest of the group.

"Whatever you do,” I warn the group. "Try not to goggle at everything you see okay?”

Everyone nods, and we make our way out of the alley and into the crowded streets of New York City. The Camelotians stare at the honking cars inching past slowly, and the large hoards of people trying to get where they need to be. I whistle to get their attention, and together we walk to the hotel. When we walk into the hotel, the others stare at the two-story high ceilings with crystal chandeliers. I sigh at them and walk over to the concierge desk. The others start to follow, but I hold my hand up to stop them. I continue to the desk alone. The man standing behind the desk stares at me concerned.

"Can I help you.” He asks while looking at me up and down with an unimpressed look on his face. 

I smile really brightly and giggle a little. "Hi! My name is Ally Emery. I'm looking for my older brother, Martin Emery’s suite.” I tilt my head to the side and pout. “He’s staying here for fashion week and I wanted to surprise him, but I don't know what floor he’s on. Can you by any chance direct me to his suite?” I raise my head back up and smile. “Oh, it will be so fun to surprise him!”

The concierge looks shocked for a second then smiles brightly. “Why yes, Miss Emery, I would be happy to help.” He turns around to work on the computer. While he's turned around I frown.

_"Stupid rich people.”_

When he starts to turn around I smile again.

"Mr. Emery is staying in the empire suite on the nineteenth floor. “

I smile even wider than the man thought possible and clap. “Oh thank you! He's going to love this!”

The man smiles in return, “I am happy to be of service. If you are in need of anything thing else, please do call the main desk.”

I nod my head and walk back to the others. They're standing in a close group staring around. I pull magic around them and shopping bags spear in behind them.

“Alright!” I call to the group in the pearly voice. “I found Martin’s suite! You can carry his presents and follow me!” The others look at me confused. 

Iwalk over to Gaius and grab his arm. "Come on grandfather, let's go!" 

I grab a small box and walk over to the elevators. The others catch on to what I'm doing and grab the rest of the bags and follow me. When we get to the elevators I wait with Gaius and allow the others to get in first. I walk into the elevator and wave at the concierge who's watching us. I press the button to floor nineteen and continue to smile with a dopey grin until the door closes. When it does close, I drop the charade and lean against the wall of the elevator.

“Why did you act like that?” Perceval asked me. “Why didn't you Just ask to see Merlin instead of lying like that.”

I looked at him then rolled my eyes. “Right, ‘cause saying ‘hi my name is Alex, I'm here With Arthur Pendragon looking for my father Merlin! Can you tell me what room he's in?’ Won't make me end up in an asylum. If I told him that I just wanted to see Merlin, he wouldn’t let me in.” Just then, the elevator door opens and I walk out. The others quickly rush out and stand far away from it.

I sigh and walk down the hallway. When I get to the corner I stop.

Elyan looks at me confused. “What's wrong why did-”

I hold my hand up to silence him and place my other against the wall. A strong force is vibrating the walls. I frown and place my hand on the ground. The vibrations are stronger and more erratic.

_"Merlin was here.”_

I stand up and follow the trail of magic until it leads through a door. I press my hand on the lock and push my magic through it. The door opens up and the six of us file through. I continued to follow the magic but had to stop. I turn around the room slowly to find the trail, but it mingles with dozens of other trails with the same magical energy.

"Whoa.” I sit down on the white couch near me, head spinning like a top. Arthur rushes over to me and stands in front of me. "Hey what's wrong? Are you okay?”

I grimace and nod. “There are too many magic trails in here to follow the one that leads to Merlin.” I shake my head and look up into Arthur's eyes. “ I can't find him with magic.”

I look towards the others to see Morgana is starting to look I'll. I stand up and put a hand on her shoulder. “It's not worth it to make yourself ill.” Morgana nods and stands by Gaius.

Arthur stands up and scowls. "Well, that's great.” He storms over to me and raises his voice. “Now what?”

Inlook at him then gesture to the suite, “we look for clues.”

I walk past Arthur and the others and open a door leading to a spacious bedroom. In the room placed neatly on the bed was a leather messenger bag and a camera. I walk over to the bed a start going through the pictures of the camera. Breathtaking images of all of New York City were stored in the sleek black camera. The others stop inspecting the rest of the room and crowd around me and the camera.

“What does that do?” Elyan asks curiously peering over the others to get a better look.

I smirk and quickly hold the camera to my face. “It’s a deadly weapon that can steal your soul.” I quickly turn on the flash and take a picture of Gwaine. After the flash, he jumps and ducks behind the bed. 

"Oh damn, that's the best thing I’ve done all day.” I open of the picture of Gwaine and show the others. “Not my best work, but I think the picture came out great.”

Gwaine stands up from behind the bed and looks at me confused. He walks up behind me and looks at the picture. “But I thought you said it'll steal my soul.”

I start laughing at him. “It was just a joke.” I sigh at Gwaine and start scrolling through the camera again. “It's called a camera. You use it to capture images of things and people you like. Completely harmless, unless you take a picture of something someone doesn't want anyone else to see.”

I flip through the dozens of pictures of New York and stop at some that caught my eye. They were of the nine eleven memorial wall specifically names of the people who died on the marble around the fountain. I scan the names on the memorial and drop the camera onto the bed when I notice something. “Holy shit.” The others stare at me confused. “His name isn't there.”

Arthur stares at me confused. “Whose name? What are you talking about?”

I ignore him and grab Merlin’s bag to start digging through it. I pull out clothes and throw them on the bed. I pull out an old journal and quickly flip through it. The journal is full of Melin’s random scribbles and drawings. Occasionally, there would be a random journal entry here or there. I flip to the newer written pages and look at the entries there. I skim the entry until halfway through then slowly drop onto the bed. I drop the book and dig to the bottom of Merlin’s satchel where there is a small bundle of cloth. I slowly unwrap the bundle to find a small crystal a little over an inch long wrapped in an intricate silver chain. I pull the chain loose, to see its a necklace. Small runes encompass the silver on the top of the crystal. Powerful magic runs through the entire thing. I set the necklace on my lap and stare at the wall across from the bed.

In the corner of my vision, I see Gaius pick up the book and start reading the entry Merlin wrote.

“I have finally found someone who can bind the crystal of Neahtid without destroying it. It took me six months, but a druid follower said he would be able to do it. I only hope that Arthura will trust me enough to wear it. I have broken many promises between her, so hopefully, with this gift, she will accept me as her father.”

Gaius looks up at me shocked, but then quickly drops his head into the book and continues to read.

"I have decided to stay in New York a little longer. The scenery here is unlike any I have ever seen. Maybe Arthura would like to see some of them as well, for she has talked to me about coming, but never has. I only hope that she forgives me for being gone so long again. I hope she forgives me for everything I have done. The alcohol, the drugs, the sex, all of it. Every time she sees me fall. My heart breaks. I know that I should stop, but I can’t. The nothingness they give me is something I don’t want… no, I can’t live without. I wish I could pull myself out of this abyss.”

Gaius turns the page and reads the entry I refused to read. “Arthura called today. She’s mad at me being gone so long. I didn’t realize I had already been gone a week. I’ll leave as soon as my gift to her is done. Dear Avalon let it be enough for her to love me again.”

I rub my eyes from the tears that were falling and grab the book from Gaius. I then read the last entry to myself before reading it out loud.

“Its finally finished. The crystal came out beautifully. Now all I need is pictures of the fountain for Arthura, and then I shall return home.”

I close the journal and set it on the bed. The others stare at me shocked. Gaius frowns and sits on the bed next to me and pick the crystal up.

“This is a small shard of the crystal of Neahtid?” He turns it over to read the runes on the side. “You can't access the seer ability with this, but you can store magic energy with it.” He takes the crystal and places it in my hand.

“I didn't know why he came here.” I grasp the crystal in a clenched fist. “God, I'm so stupid.”

I look at the crystal then at the camera. I pick the camera up and place it in the satchel. I then take the clothes and the journal and place them back in the bag. I hand the messenger bag to Gwaine, who quickly grabs it from me.

“Come on” I call out to the others. “We need to go to the main desk. They’ll have security cameras that will tell us more about what happened. He had to have been taken from the hotel.”

I walk out of the hotel room and go back into the elevator. The others squeeze into the elevator, and I push the button to the lobby.

“How do you know he was taken from here?” Gwaine calls from the other end of the elevator.

“His bag, a leather jacket , his sidhe staff, and a scarf are the only things he has left from his life in Camelot. He wouldn't leave that bag for anything, especially if it had a powerful magical artifact in it.”

I look down to the crystal still clutched in my hand. I take the chain and break it open. I wrap it around my neck, then seal it closed with magic. The doors open and I rush out, followed closely by Arthur and Gwaine. We quickly rush up to the concierge’s desk and get his attention. When he sees who it is, he smiles.

“Hello again Miss Emery, how can I help you?”

I frown and look him in the eye. “I need to see your security cameras’ footage of the last month.”

The concierge looks at me shocked. “I'm sorry miss but we can't show those to just any-”

Arthur slams his hands onto the desk. "We need to see the cameras!”

The concierge looks frightened at Arthur and slowly reaches his hand under the desk.

_"Shit. They have a panic button.”_

"Wait!.” The man stops and I quickly reach into my bag and pull out my FBI badge. “My name is Agent Alex Spades. We're on an undercover mission to find Mr. Emery and we believe that something happened to him in the past month.”

The concierge's eyes grew to the size of moons as he nodded. “Okay, right this way, but you all won't fit into the room."

I nod and gesture Arthur and Gwaine to follow the man. He leads us behind the counter to a door. He swiftly unlocks the door and stands aside. The two knights go in first before me. The concierge tries to walk in as well, but I stop him.

“You can't watch these.” I chastise him. “You might be a material witness, and if you are, you watching the footage will make your testimony bias.”

The concierge nods and goes back to the front desk computer, typing nervously. I close the door and turn around to see a small room with dozens of screens. Each screen has the live feed of four cameras. Gwaine and Arthur are currently sitting in two office chairs staring at the screen of the main lobby watching the others stare at the concierge. I walk over to Arthur and push him out of the chair. He falls to the ground with a loud thump.

“Ow! I could've moved if you asked!”  
I take a seat in the chair and push myself closer to the console’s controls.

“I could’ve,” I say while accessing the footage of earlier this month. “But I don't like being nice to prattish kings.”

Arthur drops the angry look on his face and stares blankly at the screens.

I stare at him confused before returning to work on the cameras.

_"Hmm. Wonder what I said?”_

I finally get to the last day I talked to Merlin, then pulled up the footage for the lobby and his floor. I put the video on fast forward and lean back in my chair. Gwaine looks at the screen then back at me.

"What's it doing?” I stretch my arms above my head and point to the screen.

“It's speeding up the recording so we don't have to spend hours watching it.”

Gwaine looks at the screens astonished then laughed. “Wow, how the future has progressed. I mean look at our time, the newest technology there was water pumps. Now we have electricity and horseless carts!”

I look at Gwaine and smile. “Yeah I guess your-”

“There he is.” Arthur abruptly calls out. I focus on the screens and rewind them to the time he first is seen. I then hit play, and the three of us watch in real time. Merlin staggers into the lobby, then slowly makes it to the elevator and practically falls into it.

“Merlin was drunk.” Gwaine muses. I shake my head and point to the screen.

"It's day. Merlin doesn't drink during the day unless he's at home.” The others look at me confused. “He doesn't want to be vulnerable again.”

I change to the camera footage of the eighteenth floor and watch. Merlin stumbles out of the elevator and leans against the wall, slowly making his way to his room. I pause the recording and close in on Merlin’s face. His pupils are blown to completely cover his irises, his face shows a mixture of confusing and fear.

Arthur looks at the screen then to me. “Is he high?”

I look closer at his face then lean back. “Yes, but it’s not his doing. He uses stuff that he has easy access to like morphine. Again, he doesn’t like feeling vulnerable.” I resume the footage and watch Merlin go into his room and leave the door open.

"Now what?” Arthur asks frustrated.

We wait a few minutes until a teenager walks down the hall and stops in front of Merlin’s open door. She smiles and walks right in. a minute later, Merlin rushes out of the room. He trips and falls, but continues to crawl away. The teenager slowly follows Merlin, until he collapses on the ground a few feet from the elevator. The teen laughs and walks in front of Merlin. She kicks him in the face and knocks him out. Two men emerge from the elevator and pick him up. The two of them, carrying Merlin, walk into the elevator and waits for the teen. The teen looks at the camera and smiles before raising her hand and shouting something. Her eyes turn gold and the camera goes black. I stare at the screen silently. The Arthur and Gwaine look at me.

"What are you waiting for!” Arthur shouts, “find another camera!”

I shake out of my stupor and type madly into the console. Every camera I come across that might have them in it turns black. I slam my hand on the console and go back to the moment before the first camera went black and capture an image of the girl. She has long, curly blonde hair, and round eyes currently glowing gold. She looks to be around my physical age, and dresses accordingly, with blue skinny jeans and a white crop top. I stare at her for a few seconds before realization dawns on me.

I quickly pull out my phone and open a picture of a teenage girl with short chestnut brown hair, and hazel eyes. I hold it up to the screen to see that they are the same person.

“Little bitch!” I shout, making the two knights in my presence jump.

Gwaine looks at me confused before carefully asking me, “What is it?”

I look at the screen and scowl. I raise my hand to the console and wipe the events from its memory with magic. I march out of the room and quickly turn to the concierge.

“Thank you for your cooperation.” the man nods and waves us off. I march out of the street and make my way to the alleyway. I hold my hands out for the others to grab.

“Come on we have to move.” Everyone grabs ahold of me except for Arthur. “Arthur grab on to me and let's go.” Arthur crosses his arms and stays where he’s at.

"No. I’m not moving until you tell me who that girl was. Why did she take Merlin, and why do you have a picture of her!?”

I roll my eyes. “Arthur not here. Let’s go somewhere where we can-”

"No!” Arthur shouts, “For all, we know you could be protecting her or something! Who is she!”

I push the others away, and I start shouting. “Fine you want to know who she is?! She’s a druid named Jessica, that I thought died over ten years ago! And why do I have a picture of her? It's because she was my best friend.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm a senior in high school if you didnt know(thats year 12). And being a senior in high school comes with the amazing thing called college applications! I'm also going to an art school, so that includes art portfolios! What irritates me to no end about these portfolios is that each school has different requirements. One school wants 14 realistic artworks while another wants 20 artworks of your own style! That's like 34 artworks in three months! Okay I'm done venting. Virtual cookie for you if you read it all.  
> Leave a comment or a kudos if you like the story so far!  
> I hope you all have a wonderful week, and I hope I don't die from assignments!


	9. The Iron Dagger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and the gang go to a tavern to meet a seer who can track Merlin. Alex also tells everyone her origins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for this taken so long. I have had so much crap in life that I just haven't been able to write anything until now. I will try to post the next chapter as soon as I am physically able. I already have fleshed out what happens. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy your day and leave a kudos and a comment!

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(Arthur POV) 

 

I stare at Alex shocked. The others surrounding her stare at her in the same fashion. Alex looks at us surprised. She quickly raises her hands to her mouth like she just accidentally cursed someone. She drops her hands and takes a step towards me. I quickly step away in disgust. She looks at me then sighs.  
  
“Look, just please.”  she tries taking another step closer.  She holds her hand out and I quickly bat it away.  She frowns and stares at me in desperation.  “Please just let me take us somewhere safe and I’ll tell you the truth.”  
  
I stare at her incredulously.  An irrational part of me wants to break the little witch's neck, but the rational side of me realizes she’s the only one who truly knows where we are.  I cautiously walk over to her and grab her shoulder.  I nod to the others, and they also grab a hold of her.  
  
I clench my eyes shut and with a stomach-churning pop, the sound of cars disappears.  When I open my eyes, I see a dark tavern looking place.  Every wall is covered in strange drawings and pictures.  On the far side of the tavern is a large counter that spans the entire wall.  Behind that are shelves of glass bottles filled with many shades of liquid I can only assume is alcohol.  In the center of the shelves is a cracked large mirror that stretches from floor to ceiling.  I turn around to see tables spread about the rest of the tavern, all of them in different shapes and sizes.  The chairs are in a similar fashion.  
  
Alex shrugs out of everyone's’ grasp and starts pushing a table.  Enraged, I stand in front of the table.  “Where are we?  I thought you were taking us to Merlin’s? ”  
  
Alex quickly looks up and point to a sign hanging above a worn-out door before continuing to push the table to the center of the room.  I look up at the sign and read, ‘Ealdor Bar and fortune tellers. ’I stare at the sign for a second slightly confused, until refocusing my attention to Alex.  She is currently trying to push a few tables together in the center of the room.  A few of the knights move to try and help her, but I quickly held up my hand to stop them.  Gwaine frowns and helps Alex anyways.  I glare daggers into the both of them as they finish their task.  When they finish Alex stares at all of us and gestures to the table.  
  
“I know you want to know what’s going on, and I’ll tell you.  Just… ” she pauses and takes a deep breath.“ Just give me a minute, please. ”I stare at her making sure none of my emotions show.  
  
_“Why should I trust her?  She’s been lying to us since she came out of the bushes by the lake. ”_  
  
I look towards the others and see mixed emotions.  Some of them look to accept Alex, while others look at her hesitantly.  I close my eyes and growl.  
  
“Fine, but no more lies.”  Alex nods and quickly hops over the counter and goes over to the mirror.  She grabs the edge of it and pulls it to reveal a door.  She walks through it and disappears. I stare at the mirror silently.  We all sit in awkward silence for a short while until  Gwaine starts to speak up.  
  
“We should give her a chance princess.”  I look at him and see he has a cheeky grin on his face.  I scowl at him, and the grin quickly fades into a face of concern.  “Why are you so against her?  If she was a traitor as you say she is, then why would she help us?  Why would she take us in and teach us about this crazy world we’re now a part of? ”I ignore him and stare back at the mirror.    
  
“Sire,” Gaius speaks up.“ Gwaine is right.  We need to let her explain herself before we rush to conclusions.  Why would she help us search for Merlin if she wanted to take him in the first place? ”  
  
Rage boils over in me and I slam my hands on the table and start shouting.  “She never wanted to!”  I stand up and my chair slams to the floor in a clatter.  “She said so to our faces!  She didn’t even know we existed!  When she did find out, she was forced to come and help us by a dragon I thought we killed!” The others looked at me frightened, but I keep going. “She has continuously kept secrets from us since we have met her and will probably continue to do so! ”  
  
Percival frowns and speaks up.  “She is helping to find Merlin now though, and she looked pretty off when she came out of that room.”  The others nod their heads in agreement.  My heart aches when Merlin’s name is said and my stomach writhes.  
  
_“Why do I feel like this?”_  
  
I shake my head.  “She’s not doing enough!  We are sitting here doing nothing while Merlin could be dead.” The others stare at me horrified.  My heart is racing, and I can’t calm down.  I realize the others are looking past me and not at me, so I quickly turn around.  Alex is there with another  woman.  She is very tall, over six feet and has beautiful long black hair.  She has a dark complexion and steel gray eyes.  She looks at us all like she’s bored.  Alex looks at me shocked beyond all belief.  The tall, raven haired woman walks behind the bar and starts pulling out glasses.  Alex turns around and opens the door wider to let Lancelot, and Guinevere walk through.  They slowly walk past Alex, and they take a seat at the table.  Alex walks to the table after them and takes a seat at the head.  I grab my chair, form the floor and take my seat as well.  Alex leans back against her chair and stares at me calmly.  
  
“When did you figure out you loved him?”  I stare surprised at her.  The others looked at her with even more shocked.  They all start shouting annoying things and I raise my hand up to silence them.  I look at Alex then smile slightly.

 “I figured it out when I died.”  Alex grins madly.  

“Same with Merlin.” I stare at her shocked.

_‘What?!’_

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_(Alex POV)_

 

I walk through the mirror with everyone else in tow, when I see Arthur standing and shouting about finding Merlin.I stand there quietly listening to Arthur.I look at him in awe the entire time he’s shouting. He sounds desperate, and his motions are frantic. Whenever he says Merlin’s name, he winces slightly.  
  
_“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that the great, once and future king, is in love with Merlin. ”_  
  
Just then, Arthur turns around and looks at me and all of the color in his face disappears. I turn around to open the door wider, so that the others, who I just picked up from the house, can enter the room as well. Iris, the bar’s owner, then walks through the door and starts pulling out glasses. I lead the three from the house to the large table, and they take seats in the empty spaces. I take a seat at the head of the table and lean back. Arthur then takes the chair that's flipped over and sits down. I stare at Arthur for a little while before thinking of something fun.  
  
“When did you figure out you loved him?” Arthur stares at me shocked. I smile and listen to the others argue over whether or not it’s true. Arthur then raises his hand to silence the others. He stares at me with a straight face.  
  
“I figured it out when I died.” The others fall silent. I keep a straight face on the outside but go hysterical on the inside.  
  
_“Holy shit! I didn’t actually think he liked him! What do I say now? ”_  
  
I sit up straight and smile wide. “Same with Merlin.” Arthur stares at me shocked beyond all belief. The others stare at me gaping as well. I’m about to calm them when Iris walks up to me.  
  
“What’s this about Alex? I have to open the place in a few hours. ”  I look to my left to see her staring at me pissed. I smile and gesture to the others.  
  
“Iris this is Arthur Pendragon, Gwaine, Percival, Guinevere, Elyan, Lancelot, Gaius, and Morgana. They are staying with my father and me for a while. ”Iris stares at them in minor shock then at me.  
  
“So, Merlin finally got his prophecy to happen huh? Good for him. Why are you here? ” I look down and frown. Before looking at the others. Arthur has a look of pure hatred on his face. The rest are showing some hostility towards me. I sigh and lean back in my chair.  
  
“I need your help for a tracking spell Iris. We need to find Merlin. ” Iris drops her arms and stares at me shocked.  
  
“Really? Okay. I’ll need some of his blood, Some of his magic, and something of his that he cares for. ” I nod and place my satchel on the table I’m about to pull stuff out when I see Arthur trying to incinerate me by staring. I sigh and put my bag back on the floor.  
  
“I need to tell you the truth about myself. The whole truth. ”Iris nods and looks towards the others.  
  
“I’ll get some drinks.” Iris walks over to the bar and pulls out more glasses and bottles. I look at the others and take a deep breath before speaking.  
  
“You know how I was born, but you don’t know what happened after I was born.” I grab the large glass of rum Iris hands me and I chug the whole thing.“ When I was still a baby, I started showing the same signs Merlin did with his magic. Mine was more emotional based then instinctually based like his was. I guess someone saw me do something. When I was about fourteen months or so, a group of men attacked the druid village I was born in. They destroyed half of the village and killed one of my brothers, my two sisters, my surrogate father, and drove my eldest brother to insanity.  I don't really know what happened when I was with those men. I guess they saw me do magic and then gave me away. "  
  
The entire room is silent. Everyone is staring at me with mixed emotions. Some in fear and some in sorrow. The only noise heard is Iris pouring me another glass of rum, that I gladly drink in one fell swoop. The room is silent for a minute until Gwen speaks up. "Where did you go?" she asked quietly.  
  
“Do you remember how I told you magic is almost nonexistent presently? Once in a while, a stronger magic user pops up, me, a few druids, and some random citizen here and there. Well, some people have taken some notice of it and wish to exploit it. ”  
  
Arthur leans back in his chair. "What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
“I was sold to a man named Marcus Escobar. He ran a company called Nova tech. A secret lab in the company took people who were adept in magic and experimented on them. They used magic on me to age me, making me physically sixteen at two. I was trained to use my magic for destruction. I was the perfect soldier. I spent the next ten years in that hell hole. I murdered hundreds of people for my master’s sake. ”  
  
I take another shot of rum and continue. “But I got out.  I was on a mission where I had to protect a corrupt politician, and assassinate the heir to a small county's throne. That way, the politician could become next in line. I went undercover as a servant to the king and was ordered to watch his son. The son, who was my target, was barely eleven years old. I watched this child and saw amazing intelligence and a beautiful imagination. I couldn’t see why my master would want me to kill an innocent child like him. So, when he stood in front of all of his people to be crowned prince of his country, I killed the politician instead of him. I then got captured by their government and sent to the United States of America to face judgment. The team that I was with escaped and went back to Marcus. I thought I was getting the death sentence. I hoped I would get the death sentence. Instead, the government took pity on. They gave me life in prison and sent me away. I stayed in prison until I became a legal adult seven years later. ”  
  
“What happened then?” Morgana asks curiously.  
  
I lean forward and rest my arms on the tables. “Well, when I became an adult, I found a lawyer and tried Marcus for everything he did. He was charged with murder, kidnapping, attempted murder, attempted kidnapping, and a whole lot more shit. All of my charges were dropped, and I was released from prison. I also got half of Marcus’s company including the money. I used my newfound freedom and power to find out who my family was. I found my mother Athena, head chief of the druids. Afterwards, I worked for the company and eventually starting working for the United States government. ”  
  
The whole group stares at me shocked. I sit up straight and stare at them back. The silence grows awkward before Gwaine speaks up. “So, who is Jessica.”  
  
“Jessica’s birth name was Talia. She was taken from the same village as me and another kid named Garrett. We trained together, and we were even on the same team for missions. We became very close, like sisters. When I went to prison and didn’t try to escape, she felt like I was betraying her. She didn’t understand why I hated Marcus so much. When I put Marcus on trial, that really sent her over the edge. She became violent, threatening my friends and family. I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn’t listen. She felt too betrayed. ”  
  
I cross my arms and rest them on the table. I awkwardly look at the ceiling, trying to avoid eye contact with the others.  
  
“What happened to Garrett?” I glance down at them confused. Elyan leans in a bit and asks again, “what happened to the other boy, Garrett? ”I sigh and look at the ceiling again.  
  
“He was killed for not listening to orders.” I stare at them all grim-faced before saying, “I was the one ordered to kill him, and I regret to inform you that unlike him, I did follow orders. ”I continue to stare at them. “Well, now you know my story. You can choose to trust me or not, but I will tell you this; I will do everything in my power to find Merlin and bring him home safe. That I can promise you. ”  
  
The others stare at the table silently. Some of them like Gaius and Gwen have silent tears streaming down. “How could you survive something so horrible?” Gwen whispered.  
  
I look at her and smile. “It wasn't so bad, I met the love of my life through the events of finding the evidence needed to take down Marcus. It helped me decide on working for the FBI instead of anything else. It even helped me look for Merlin.”  
  
Arthur looks at me surprised. “What do you mean?"  
  
“If I was never taken, I probably never would know Merlin was my real father. So in a way, I guess I have to thank the twisted fucks that did this to me. ”The others nod in understanding. I smile and look towards Iris. “Iris, you can bring the stuff for the spell now.”  
  
Iris nods and starts pulling things out from under the bar counter. I take my bag from the floor and I start to pull out the vials wrapped in cloth. I also pull out several maps and place them on the table. Iris walks over with a large bowl full of a murky green substance and places that on the table next to the map. She looks at me and reaches an open hand out.  
  
“I need the rest of the ingredients to start the spell.”  I carefully unwrap the two vials and set the blue cloth on the table when I’m about to hand the vials to Iris, Arthur shouts, “That’s Merlin’s neck scarf! ”  
  
Startled, I drop the vials and they fall onto the ground and shatter. The others look at me shocked, and I stare at Arthur fuming. “Why? Why did you just shout? Those were the only vials of Merlin’s blood and magic that I own! ”Arthur sheepishly looks at the floor and I turn to Iris.“Is there anything we can do? ”  
  
Iris thinks deeply before walking back to the bar and grabbing a few bottles of something and a long, thin box. She walks back to us and pours the contents of the bottles into the bowl turning it from a murky green to a dark purple. She then opens the box and pulls out an iron dagger. She looks at me hesitantly before talking. “Because you are of blood relation to Emrys, you can drink this potion and spill blood on a map to locate any and all of your kin.” I reach for the dagger, but Iris quickly pulls it back.  
  
“You should know. The spell requires the blade to be made of cold iron. It will hurt a lot. ”I stare at her for a moment before carefully grabbing the dagger. She opens up a map of the world and flattens it out in front of me. The ancients stare at the map in wonder, while I take the bowl and drink the purple substance. I gag at the vile taste and force myself to keep it down. When I drink all of the potion, I push the bowl away and grab the dagger. I hold it in my left palm and quickly draw blood. The cut burns like I just poured acid onto it. I quickly hold my hand out and let the blood drip onto the map. Instead of sinking into the paper, it rolls on top like little beads. I hold my hand out for a minute, until Iris pulls my hand away and wraps it in a cloth. She then stares at the blood and waves her hand over it, eyes flashing gold. The blood slowly moves around the map until it separates into tiny pinpricks and seeps into the paper. She looks up at the others and nods silently before going back behind the counter. I unwrap my hand carefully and see the edges of the cut look like they have been burned. I hold my other hand over the cut and try to force my magic into it, but my magic is quickly rejected. I hiss at that pain protruding from my hand and notice the cut is bleeding again.  
  
“You can’t heal it with magic because of the cold iron,” Iris calls out to me. She walks over to me with a first aid kit and drags a chair over with her. She sits down and pull out several things from the kit and sets them on the table. I look at the items and groan with dread. On the table next to the map is a curved needle, some dark blue sterilized thread, some white gauze, and a large bottle of antiseptic. Iris grabs my hand and inspects it. She lets go and grabs the blue cloth that once held the now shattered vials. She quickly folds it and hands it to me. “You need to put that in your mouth,” she commands me while unscrewing the antiseptic. I nod in understanding then quickly shove the wad in my mouth. I stare at the others, who look at me confused, while Iris pours the antiseptic on the wound. Pain blinds me and a muffled shriek bursts from my lips. The others stare at me alarmed, and Gwaine starts to lunge at Iris. When she finishes with the antiseptic, I pull out the rag and hold my uninjured hand up to calm them. I then look at Iris and watch her as she stitches up the wound, then wraps it in the gauze. The whole time this event conspired, Gaius watched with great interest. I look at him confused before I remember he was a doctor in his time. “If you think this is crazy Gaius, just wait until you see what real modern medicine looks like.”  
  
“Where does the map say Merlin is?” Arthur shouts at me annoyed. I look down at the map and point to a small speck in the United States.  
  
“That’s where we are. We are currently in a state called Virginia in a country called, the United States of America. ”I point to another location with two specks of blood nearby. “That is the village I was born in and that is mother and brother. ” in the top corner of the United States in Washington, another speck of blood is staining the paper. I point to it and smile. “There. That’s where Merlin is. ”I pull the map closer to me to try and read it better. When I finally read it, my smile fades and I stare in anger. “He’s in the facility I was raised at in the Hoh rainforest. She did that on purpose. ”  
  
Arthur looks at the map and then at me. “Alright. We'll need our armor back and a plan.” I shake my head at him then roll the map up. I grab my bag and stand up.  
  
“Your old armor won’t protect you. So, we’ll need to get you some new armor. ” everyone looks at me surprised, but I ignore them and walk over to Iris.“ thank you for everything. ” I hand her a fifty, and she smiles at me. She hugs me tight before walking back to the bar and setting things up before the bar actually opens. The others start to push the tables and chairs back to the way they were before.  
  
“What’s the plan?” Gwaine asks striding over to me. I smile back and place a hand on his shoulder.  
  
“First we get you some weapons. Then, we go to war.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so Halloween is around the corner. I was think of doing a one shot side story of this story for Halloween! Leave a comment on what you think.


	10. The Silver Bow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone prepares for the rescue mission, and a plan is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fixed some of stuff from the previous chapters, as well as stuff from this one too.

 

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I wave Iris goodbye, and leave the bar with everyone in tow. When I open the door, we walk down a flight of stairs and end up in a slightly crowded mall. The others look around in wonder of all the stores and people. I wait for them to get used to their new surroundings before continuing.  
  
“What is this place?”  Morgana asks while looking at the high ceilings.  
  
“It's called a mall.  People pay money to rent spaces here so they can open stores. ” Gwaine slows down a bit and smiles.  
  
“So it’s kind of like the market place in Camelot, but indoors.”  I look around the mall and nod.  
  
“I guess so.  There are still markets like that around, but they’re not really common. In big cities.” We walk to the end of the corridor and end up in a large, open food court.  I lead the group to a large table.  “Just wait here okay?”  I turn around to walk to a stand, but Arthur grabs my wrist.  I turn around and look at him annoyed.  “What?”  
  
Arthur looks at me seriously, “where are you going? ” I wrench my hand out of his grip.  
  
“I’m getting food for everyone ass. ”I turn around and march to the closest fast food place.  I order a bunch of random junk and walk back to the table.  I place the bag and cups on the table and grab a salad and some fries.  I set that aside and pull out the rest of the food.  I grab a milkshake began to eat my food.  I look up to see everyone looking at the paper wrapped food strangely.  I roll my eyes and grab a cheeseburger from Percival.  I quickly unwrap and hand it back to him.  
  
“That's a cheeseburger.  It's made of cow. ”  I hand a bag of fries to Arthur.  “These are french fries.  Potatoes boiled in oil to make them crunchy.  And those are frozen milk with flavoring. They're called milkshakes. ”I lean back and tuck into my food, while the others did the same.  When I finish, I look at the others and see Lancelot looking around amazed.  I take another chug of my milkshake.  “It's overwhelming, isn’t it? All of this.” Lancelot wakes from his stupor and looks at me.  
  
“It is. This place, it’s nothing like anything I have ever seen.”I smile and finish my milkshake.  
  
“I felt the same way. When I left the labs, I didn’t really know a lot of the stuff I do now. I was so sheltered from the real world, that I still find things that amaze me, but I guess that’s with everyone.” Elyan looks at me confused.  
  
“What do you mean?” I smile and look at the glass ceiling.  
  
“Everybody finds something that amazes them. I mean, look at Merlin. He lived through all of this being discovered.  Electricity, plumbing, even cheeseburgers. He watched them all be created.” Arthur frowns and looks at me.  
  
“I don’t think I'll ever get used to all of this. It’s loud and bright and just so... ” I sit up and frown.  
  
“Polluted?” Arthur nods in agreement.  “Well, you’re not wrong. This world is corrupt and polluted, but it's the world we live in now. We have to try and make it better, or it never will get better.” I stand up and grab the trash from everyone else. “The first step to take is freeing Merlin. His magic influences the world. With it being trapped, the world is darkening. ”   
  
I throw the trash out and motion the others to follow me along a different corridor than the one we walked in earlier. I quickly move down large corridor, avoiding people who walk past.  The others are only a few steps behind me the entire time. As I walk past the stores I glance up at the names for a second before looking forward. When i see a small sign above a store, I stop in front of it. The sign is simple black cursive spelling ‘Ingenious.” I stop everyone and open the glass doors, so everyone else can walk in. I walk in and look around. The store is a small clothing store. I lead the others past high-end women’s clothing, and past the men’s wear of similar fashion, to a counter. A large burly man with a shaved head and dark brown eyes, is currently sewing a pair of jeans. As I walk closer to him, he holds his hand up and points to the door.  
  
“Sorry we are currently closed. Please come back in an hour.”I mock frown and lean closer.  
  
“Aw, I’m sorry Tyler. I didn’t know. I’ll come back later then.” the man looks up quickly and smiles.  
  
“Ace! It's been a while! What’s up girl?” Tyler jumps over the counter and gathers me in a hug. I smile and hug back tightly.  
  
“It has been awhile huh. I’m sorry about that.” I let go and turn to the others.“ This is Tyler. I've known him since well, forever.” the others smile and introduce themselves. As they each say their names, Tyler’s smile slowly fades. When they all finish Tyler turns to me.  
  
“Are they for real right now?”  I nod embarrassed. Tyler laughs and rubs the back of his head. “Well, I owe you an apology, and fifty bucks. Geez your father is Merlin.”  
  
I hold my hand up and smile, “Tell me about it. Also, you can pay us back by helping us do something,” Tyler smiles and wraps an arm around my shoulder.  
  
“Whats the problem Ace?” I shrug out of his grasp and look up at him.  
  
“Merlin was taken by Jessica. We are going to get him back.” Tyler frowns and takes a step back.  
  
“You need armor don't you? Weapons too?” I look up at him and nod. Tyler takes a deep breath and motions us to follow him. We walk behind the counter to a steel door. Tyler walks up to a sensor on the right and places his hand on it. A light flashes and the door slides open.  He leads us in and flicks a switch on the left. The lights come on and we find ourselves in a large room. White tiles and ceilings surround us. Worktables covered in different metals and fabrics are dotted around the space. I look around and stare in wonder.    
  
“Wow. Tyler, you sure seem to be doing well.” Tyler laughs and walks over to one of the worktables where a large computer system is set up. The others walk around the room point and staring at everything. Morgana is looking at Tyler at the computer systems. I inspect some of the metals while they talk.  
  
“What is all of this?” Tyler looks at her, then smiles.  
  
“Its all government funded. After Ace helped us escape the labs, most of us got government jobs. I get to work the store up front, as long as I make armor and tech for the government.” Gwen stares at Tyler sadly.  
  
“You were on a team with Alex? I’m so sorry for what happened to you.” Tyler shakes his head.  
  
“I did some things that I wasn’t proud of, but Alex usually did the worst stuff. She didn’t want any of us to destroy our lives.  She was an amazing leader.”I drop the metal onto the table and stare at Tyler.  
  
“I was far from perfect believe me. If I was an amazing leader, I would've got you all out long before I actually did.” Tyler walks over to me and grabs my shoulders.  
  
“Listen to me. You are not a bad person.  You were following orders. You are amazing because you kept us from harm.  You kept Marcus from harming us. You took the punishments. Never think you were anything less than amazing.” I smile and grab his hand.  
  
“Thanks Tyler.” Tyler smiles and lets go of my shoulders.  
  
“Anytime. Now, let's get you what you came for.” Tyler kneels next the worktable I was staring at and opens a drawer. He starts pulling out thick, black mesh jumpsuit and hands them to everyone. When he starts giving one to Gaius, I stop him.    
  
“He’s not coming.” I point to Gwen, “Neither is she.” Gwen stares at me fuming.  
  
“I’m not letting you all go into battle and watch from the sidelines. I can fight!”I walk up to her and stare her in the eyes.  
  
“I know you're capable of fighting. I need you to stay with Gaius and set up a medical center for when we get Merlin. ” Gwen looks at me surprised. I grab onto Gwen’s shoulders and look at her with pleading eyes. “We can’t take Merlin to a hospital because in this time, the government doesn’t know he exists.  Please, you and Gaius are the only ones that can help him if he needs it.” Gwen nods to assure me, then walks over to Gaius. They stand by the computer and start scrolling through medical articles. I turn to the others and see they all have black jumpsuits on. I walk up to the closest knight, who happens to be Gwaine, and examine the material. It's black as coal, and looks like tightly woven chainmail. I feel a small trace of magic emanating from the suit. I turn my head to the others and feel a similar magic source in each of them.    
  
“Iris did the enchantments, and the metal is a lightweight polymer that I created.” I turn to Tyler startled by his proximity to me. I take a few steps back and stare at the knights  I think for a minute and start pulling out their old armor from my bag.  As I pull out pieces, I set them on the table. Tyler looks at them amazed then stares at me.  
  
“I thought that maybe I could alter them to make them more streamlined and stronger.” Tyler nods, then backs away from the table.  I focus my magic on the table force it into the armor. The armor darkens to a coal-like color and morphs to fit its owner’s body perfectly. When they are the correct size, I harden them, making all of them bulletproof. I pull my magic out and motion for the knights to take their new armor. When they all are suited up, I smile. “You guys looks like emo storm troupers.” the group, including Tyler looks at me confused. “Nevermind.”  
  
“Hey Alex.” Tyler calls out. I walk over to him and look at the familiar metal case he pulled out from one of the cabinets  I stare at him frightened and he nods grimly. “I got to keep all of the tech I made for the team. It’s all here.” he gestures to the entire room.  
  
“Why did you keep these?” Tyler shrugs then walks over to the knights near a rack of guns. I turn back to the case and shake.    
  
“Calm down Alex. You’re safe. ”  
  
I place my hand on the keypad and slowly type in a code. The locks click, and the case pops open a bit. I take a deep breath and open the case. Inside is a jumpsuit and set of sleek, black armor.  I take off my shirt, jeans, and boots, then quickly slip into the familiar uniform. I put the light chest plate over my head and tighten it. I put on the bracers and gloves, then look into the case. I pull out metal cased boots that stop just below the knee and slip them on. I the pull out a heavy black coat and pull that over everything. The coat smells like rust and gunpowder. I look into the case, and my breath catches when I see what's left. Two eight-shot pistols rested in a belt holster. I buckle it on and grab six clips as well. I then slowly and carefully pull out a silver short-bow. Druid sigils are engraved on the shaft. I pull out arrows built in a similar fashion inside a black quiver.    
  
“I know Garrett would want you to have those.” I jump and turn around to see Tyler right behind me. I stare at the bow and quiver. Rage and guilt build up in me. I set them both back into the case and lock it tight.  
  
“No, he wouldn’t.” I walk toward the others to see them looking through the barrel of a pistol. “Stop!” I dash over to Gwaine and grab the gun from his hands.  “Are you crazy? You could have just killed yourself.” Gwaine looks at the gun confused.  
  
“How could that small thing kill me? It’s not even sharp.” I look over at Tyler who goes over to a far wall and opens a sliding door to reveal three metal mannequins with several targets on each. I grab a round of bullets of the table and load the pistol Gwaine had aimed at his face. I aim the gun at the middle mannequin and shoot until the clip empties. When the gun clicks empty, I slam it down on the table and drag the others to the middle mannequin. The gun shot six times and all the bullets are gathered around where the heart would be.  
  
“That's what a gun can do. Arthur looks at the bullet holes repulsed. Lancelot looks at the deformed metal then at me.  
  
“You said when we first gave you our armor that it wouldn't protect us anymore, is this why?” I frown and nod. I walk over to the table and hand Percival and Gwaine semi-automatic rifles.  
  
“These are a lot more powerful than the pistols. Just be careful, they shoot more than one bullet at a time.”I grab one, turn off the safety, and shoot the left mannequin. I then walk over to the rest of the knights and hand them pistols. I motion them to follow, and line them up several feet in front of the mannequins.  I grab Morgana, Gwen, and Gaius and line them up with the others. “You are only going to use these when you absolutely have to. Just hold it in both hands, aim like you would with a bow, breathe, and squeeze the trigger.” I stand back and watch them shoot rounds. When they advanced enough to my liking, I stop them. “Great job, now you can defend yourself.” I look towards Arthur who drops the gun on the floor.  
  
“I won't use these things. They have no honor.” I stomp over to him and pick up the gun he dropped.    
“They may not have honor, but they save lives."

 I shove the gun into his hands." This armor won't do shit against a point blank shot. You have to shoot first before they put a bullet in your head." Arthur grows angry and throws the gun across the room.   
  
"I will not do battle with a man who does not have a chance to defend himself!” I look into Arthur's eyes and see a fire that is reminding me painfully of Merlin.  I sigh and walk over to my case. I type in the code and look at the weapons in the bottom. I move over Garrett's bow and pull out his other weapon. I walk over to Arthur and hand him it.  
  
"At least stay protected." The weapon is a round shield made of gold-like material. The edges are sharp, and a picture of a winged serpent rests on the front. Tyler looks at me and the shield confused.  
  
“I thought you said Garrett wouldn’t want us to use his weapons.” I sigh and hold my hand up against the winged serpent.  With a flash of gold, the image changes to that of a golden dragon, about to breath fire.    
  
“I said I shouldn’t use it. A monster doesn’t need weapons.” I grab the shield from Arthur and adjust the straps so it fits him. I look him in the eye and start speaking. “This shield is very powerful.  Its bullet-proof and the ends are sharp.  If you throw it, it will be deadly.”I walk over to the far wall where there was a rack of equipment. I start pulling off extra clips of ammo when I see something that catches my eye. Two black metallic bracers with small buttons down the center. I click one of the buttons, a small throwing knife pops out.  I smile and look up. “Hey Morgana.” I throw the bracers at her, and she catches them happily. I notice she altered her armor to make it look more like a corset and hooded cape. I walk over to Tyler, who is currently putting on armor himself, and I stop him.    
  
“I’m coming to help you.” I sigh and pull the armor from his hands.  
  
“Tyler, Talia is keeping Merlin at the labs.”  all of the color drains from Tyler’s face leaving him looking like a scared little child. I set the armor on the table and hold him in an embrace.  
  
“You are never going back there. Not if I can help it.” Tyler nods and takes off the armor he already put on. He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small cube.    
  
“Just place it on the ground and release it with your magic.” I smile and place a hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks Tyler, for everything.” I turn to the rest of the group and get their attention. “Alright, everyone listen up. We’re leaving now, so get ready to jump.” Gwaine groans loudly and walks over to me. Everyone else gathers around and starts to grab on to me. I focus on the forest clearing and with a loud pop, we appear in front of the house. I march up the front steps and make my way to the dining room. I push the doors open wide and look around. A large, circular table sits in the center of the room, with twelve chairs set around it. I wave my hand and the chairs move themselves to rest against the wall. I wave my hand again and four pallets of white sheets land on the table. The others slowly file into the room and watch the display in interest. Arthur ignores the magic and goes to the table. He rests his hand on it and traces the faded carvings on it. He turns around and looks at one of the chairs with a red cushion and slowly pushes it closer to the table, then sits down. Everyone else except for Morgana does the same thing with a specific chair. I look at them confused, then it hits me. I look at the table and stare at it in awe. “Is this really the actual round table.” Arthur rests his hand back on the table and smile.  
  
“This is the only thing besides our armor we have that is from Camelot. I stare at them in there new armor, sitting at the table like they’re about to go to war, and I feel sorry for them. I stare at Arthur, who is lost in memories, before thinking of something else.  
  
“No, it’s not.” Arthur looks up at me surprised.   
  
“What do you mean?” I look at him and smile before dashing out of the dining room and bounding up the stairs to Merlin’s study. I go to the far wall and see an empty bookshelf. Carved into the shelves are different items. I stare at the middle shelf carving and smile. I hold my hands over it and force my magic to bring the carving to life. A sword slowly materializes on the shelf. I carefully pick up the sword and carry it downstairs. I walk to the dining room and present it to Arthur. Arthur looks at it surprised, then takes it from my grasp.  
  
“Who is King Arthur without Excalibur?” I walk to the corner of the room and place the small cube Tyler gave me on the ground. I push my magic into it, and medical supplies replace the cube. I motion Gwen and Gaius over and hand them a textbook. “This book will teach you how to use the medical tools.” Gaius nods and starts combing through the book. I look to the others with a stern look. “We’ll leave as soon as I do something.” Lancelot looks at me curiously.  
  
“What are you going to do?” i look at him and smile.   
  
“Call Jadeanne.” Lancelot nods in understanding and I leave the room.  
  
I walk to my room and sit on my bed. I pull out my phone and dial Jadeanne’s number.  
  
“Alex? Thank god! I didn’t hear from you for a while, and I got nervous.” I smile and lean back into bed.  
  
“Relax babe.  I’m fine.  I found Merlin.”  
  
“That’s good.  Where was he this time?” I take a deep breath before answering.  
  
“He’s at the labs, being held there by Jessica.”  When I don’t hear anything on Jadeanne’s end, I grow worried.  “Jadeanne?  You there?”  
  
“Yeah sorry, I’m here.  How are you going to do this?”I laugh morbidly.    
  
“I was thinking by putting one foot in front of the other. Then, I’ll soon be out the door.”  
  
“That’s not funny Alex. Jessica can kill you.”

  
“I know, but I have to find him, Jay. She took him because of me. ”  
  
“Alex, please don’t do this. You can’t fight her alone.”  
  
“I’m not alone. I have the knights and Morgana.”  
  
“They can’t fight Jessica!” I jump out off of my bed when I hear cheering downstairs.  
  
“I have to go Jadanne. I love you. ”  
  
“Alex please, don’t-” I end the call and place my phone on the end table next to Jadeanne’s picture. I walk out of my bead room and wave my hand over the door.  The wall eats away at the doors, until it’s like a door was never there. I walk into the dining room to see the knights are putting together a rough battle strategy, while Gaius and Gwen are setting up IV poles. I walk over to Elyan and put a hand on his arm.    
  
“Hey, can I talk to you?” he looks at me surprised and nods. I lead him to the kitchen and go into the trash to pull out the bottles of vodka I threw out this morning. I set one of them on the counter and look up at Elyan. “You don’t like magic do you?”  
  
“Well, most of us didn’t at first.”  Elyan says taken aback.  
  
“No, they are used to it now. Every time you see magic, you cringe. ”Elyan drops his head and nods.  
  
“I had problems with magic in Camelot.  Specifically the druids and magic.”I nod.  I want to push further, but now might not be the best time.    
  
“I think it will be best if you didn’t come.”  Elyan looks at me offended, but I hold my hand up to stop him. “I want you to stay here and guard Gwen and Gaius.  Once the Jessica realises I’m not here, she’ll try sending a team out to search this place for magic. I want someone here that can fight, and you were the best with a gun. Please do this for Gwen.  I don’t know how close you were in the days of Camelot, but she meant a lot to Merlin.” Elyan laughs and grabs my shoulder in affection.  
  
“I promise I shall protect my sister and your uncle with my life.” I freeze and look at him. His smile fades and he looks confused. “It’s not that far of a stretch Gwen and I.” I look at the bottle then back at Elyan.  
  
“Uncle. You said uncle.” Elyan looks shocked.  
  
“Yeah, Gaius is Merlin’s uncle, so I guess that would make him your great uncle.”  
  
“What?!” I shout in shock.  
  
“You didn’t know? Merlin lived with Gaius for fifteen years.”I look at the dining room door and smile bitterly.  
  
“Well, that’s another thing I’ll have to talk to Merlin about.”  
  
I shake my head and gesture to the door.  “Come on, let’s join the others.” We walk back into the dining room, and I call everyone to attention. I wave my hand and a set of schematics and blueprints appear in front of Arthur.    
  
“What is this?”  Arthur asks. I spread the papers out and look up at everyone.  
  
“They’re the schematics, and blueprints for the facility Jessica is keeping Merlin at.” Everyone looks at me confused, and I sigh. “It’s a very detailed map of the place we’re about to enter.” I shuffle the papers until I get to the fifth level. “The cells are four levels below the surface.  That’s where they are probably keeping Merlin. We should avoid going deep into the first floor. That’s where Jessica most likely will be, because she hates the lower floors more than I do.” Arthur looks at the papers deep in thought.  
  
“I don’t think they’re keeping him there.” I stare at him confused.  
  
“Why do you think that? Jessica would only go as deep into the ground as she has to, and the cells are the highest place you can hold someone.” Arthur nods and point to the schematics.  
  
“They are the highest, but not the most secure. You say Merlin is the most powerful magic user alive. These cells are not secure enough to hold him.  The floor below. The… labs. They look like they could contain him better.” I grip the table and stare at the sixth-floor map in disdain.  
  
“They could contain him in the cells if they had cold iron.” Morgana adds. I shake my head.  
  
“No, they can’t. Merlin and I are strong enough to shatter cold iron restraints. It takes a while and a lot of magic, but we can do it.” I look between Arthur and Morgana. “We need to walk through the cell block to get to the labs, so if he’s not in the labs, we’ll just press on.” everyone nods, and I continue on with the plan. “In the forest surrounding the place, there is a passageway that I found with Jadeanne while I was in there. That will be our escape. I’ll jump us in there in front of the second level stairs.” Lancelot stops me with a question.  
  
“Why don’t you teleport us out as well?” I shake my head.  
  
“I don’t know what condition Merlin’s in.  If he is severely injured, he won’t survive the jump. If he is okay, I’ll jump us. I just want to have contingencies.”I pause for a moment before continuing. “Okay, if we find any men, Morgana and I will create a barrier while the rest of you shoot them. If they don’t have guns, stay behind Arthur, Morgana, and I. ”I glance at Elyan, and he nods subtly. “Elyan will stay here with Gaius and Gwen to help them set up, and protect this place. ”  
  
“Why would this place need protection?”  Gwaine shouts, “it’s nothing but junk.” I look up at him and scowl.  
  
“Arthur’s sword Excalibur. It was in Merlin’s workshop. My study has magic books that if they got into Jessica’s hands, bad things would happen.” Gwaine looks at the ground embarrassed. “Good now that we have a plan,” I pull out the bottle of vodka and magic shot glasses in front of everyone. “We share one drink for luck.” I pour a shot for everyone and hold it up. “Geronimo.”    
Everyone else raises their glass confused, but drinks the shot. I tap the glass on the table, then take the shot. When I down that one, I pour another and drink that too. Arthur stops me before I can pour a third.    
  
“Should you really be drinking this much before battle?” I pull my arm away from him and I grab the bottle.    
  
“I’m about to enter the place of my nightmares. I deserve a drink before, and after this entire shit show happens.”I take a mouthful of the vodka and swallow the I gag a little at the burning in my throat. “God, why Merlin was is so into this stuff, I’ll never know.”I put the bottle on the table and I stand up. “Alright, let's go to war.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright here's a new chapter. I hope you all enjoy and please leave a comment and a Kudos!  
> Also if you got my references, good for you! Have a cookie.


	11. The Steel Chair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and the knights storm the lab facility and find Merlin. Only, they have a rather complicated challenge standing between them and escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I’m back from my awful hiatus with a new extra long chapter. It’s probably filled with a lot of errors but I really wanted to get it out to you. 
> 
> *WARNING*Character deaths!!! And scenes of mild torture. Also battle scenes! Yay!

* * *

 

I move to the living room and hold my hands out to the people going. When everyone is ready, I turn to the three staying. “Keep each other safe.” With that, I focus on white walls and a staircase that says 2B. A loud crack and the ground shifts below us. I keep my eyes closed and breathe deeply. The smell of chemicals and blood fill my nostrils and I shudder.

  
“Stay calm. I can do this.”

  
“Now where?” I open my eyes to see Lancelot staring at me. I point to the staircase going down, and motion for the others to go ahead. I look up at a camera and wave my hand. The light blinks gold before going back to red. I smile and head down with the others. We walk down two flights before seeing a door labeled 4B. I place my hand on the door and force my magic through it. I sweep the hallway and feel no life force. I turn to the others and nod. I’m about to magic the door open when Morgana does it for me. I take a few steps into the hallway and look around.

  
“All right half of you stay with Morgana and open the right side doors. I’ll open the left. Let’s go.” I move over to the left and start to magic open doors. The rooms vary from storage to offices wiped clean.

  
“Why are they all empty?” I turn to see Gwaine looking confused. I focus on the doors while speaking.

  
“When the facility was shut down, Marcus had his men move everything out so he didn’t get in worse trouble than he is now.” we continue down the hall and turn a corner when the smell of stale blood hits us.

  
“Oh gods. What is that smell?” Morgana chokes out. I frown and stare at the dark hallway.

  
“It’s the cell block. they kept us here when we weren’t on missions. It wasn’t really a very safe place.” I walk up to the first cell and unlock it. I step inside and look around. The walls are covered in scraps of paper with drawings in different mediums. Percival takes a portrait off the wall and admires it.

  
“These drawing are beautiful.” He hand me the one he tore down and I smile. They called her Seer. She had the ability to see thing in the near future. It’s where her inspiration came from. When she left this place she changed her name to Lucy. She’s an artist now.” Arthur turns to me and frowns.

  
“How old was she?” I frown and grab several more of the papers before putting them in my pocket.

  
“I got her out when she was five.” We move to the next room which was full of metal scraps. I wave my hand and produce a small bag. I stuff the papers in it and a small robot. I hand the bag to Percival who slings it over his shoulder. We slowly move through each cell, me grabbing something from each and putting it in the bag. When we get to the last two I stop. The door on the right is nonexistent. The inside is a bunch of twisted metal and melted plastic. I look in there and frown. “Well, we know they kept Merlin here at some point.” I look at the room on the left and stare. The others look at me confused.

  
“What’s wrong? Is someone in there?” I shake my head and place my hand on the keypad.

  
“No. It’s just.” I sigh and type in a code. The door clicks and I turn the handle. “This is my room.” I push the door open and slowly step inside. The room is just like I left it before. Everything is sterile white. The walls, the hard tile floors, even the furniture. The room is furnished with a simple bed, dresser and desk. I make my way over to the bed and sit down. I look around and take a deep breath. The smell of bleach and peppermint makes me grimace.

  
“This was your room?” Morgana asks with a hint of pity in her voice. I reach under my mattress and pull out a worn out journal.

  
“Because I was the unofficial leader, they gave me stricter rules. I wasn’t allowed to have the stuff the others did.” I shove the journal at Percival and quickly leave the room. “Let’s keep moving.” we move to the end of the hallway to another staircase. I kick the door to them open, then motion the others to go first. As we move down the steps memories flood into my head. My heart to pound and I speed up, going ahead of everyone else. When we get to a door I let my magic loose, and it destroys the door completely. The hallway is lined with glass windows looking into labs. Some of the labs are pristine, while others ore covered in brown stains of blood. We walk down the hallway slowly. My vision starts to blur as we move. By the time we get to the last door, I have trouble breathing.

  
“Alex.” I turn around startled to see Arthur staring at me. “Stay calm, and breathe.” I nod and follow his orders. When my head clears I place my hand on the lab door. I flood my magic into it to unlock it, when it starts to make a soft buzzing noise.

  
“What the-” all of the sudden my magic recoils and sends me flying back. I land on my back hard and groan. “Fuck.” I sit up and stare at the door. Lancelot rushes over to me and helps me up.

  
“Alex, what just happened?” I look up at him and shrug. I raise my hand towards the door and red druid symbols appear on the door. When they appear Morgana laughs. I turn to her and glare at her.  
“How is a protection rune funny? We can’t get in now.” Morgana smirks and crosses her arms.

  
“It's a blood protection charm. You can’t open it because you’re related to Merlin.” Raises her hand and aims at the door. “I can do it easily.” her eyes flash gold and the door crumbles beneath a giant beam of energy. I roll my eyes at her and walk into the room. That’s when the smell hits me. It's so foul, I bend over and puke. Once I empty the contents of my stomach, I wave my hand and clear the smell out. When I stand up I face the others in the doorway. The others are looking into the room in horror. I slowly turn around and my heart stops when I see what’s inside. The room is covered in blood. Most of it old and brown, but some of it looks only a few days old. The far left wall is completely taken over by a giant computer terminal. In the center of the is a dentist type chair made of metal. Strapped into the chair is Merlin unconscious. I fall to my knees and let tears flow freely. I sit there for a minute before wiping my eyes and standing up. When I move closer to Merlin I notice how bad of shape he’s in. his body is bruised from head to toe. A deep gash covers his entire right forearm. Every once in awhile, he’ll scrunch up his has a whimper from a nightmare. He’s strapped to the chair by his wrists and ankles. Wires are sticking out of him from all over his body. I move his hair out of his face and notice it’s down past his shoulders. I sigh and move to unlock the restraints, but I notice the same runes from the door on them along with few others. I sigh and kiss his forehead before whispering.

  
“God Merlin. What has she done to you?” I turn to the others, who are looking around the room, and see Arthur staring at Merlin from afar. “Arthur.” He turns to listen to me. “Start trying to get the restraints off, but don’t touch the sensors. I don’t know how deep they go.” Arthur nods and starts inspecting the restraints. I walk over to the computer terminal and push the others away from it. I deftly hack into the terminal and open up some files. I quickly scan through them until I get to a file labeled ‘E1’. I open it and see a bunch of video files I click the first one, and see Merlin being strapped to the chair he’s currently in.

  
“What do you want.”The Merlin on the screen called out to someone off camera. Jessica walks into view smiling. She moves to the edge of the chair and starts to pet Merlin’s hair.

  
“What I want is really simple. I want your power.” Merlin turns his head and glares at her.

  
“How do you know who I am?” Jessica turns around and walks over to a cart in the corner of the room.

  
“An old friend told me about you. I was just going to torture you to hurt her, but then I figured out who you really were.” Jessica removes the wires from the cart and plugs them into the chair. Merlin struggles against his restraints as Jessica places the electrodes connected to the wires on Merlin’s temples. Annoyed at Merlin’s struggling, she stops and cups his head in her hands.“Relax. This will be easier.”

Merlin scowls and clenches his fists. “I won’t give you my magic.”

  
Jessica smirks and ruffles Merlin’s hair. “I know. That makes it more fun.” The rest of her speech is drowned out by Merlin screaming.

  
I turn around and notice Arthur stopped to watch the video. I walk over to him, grab Excalibur from its sheath, and slam it on the restraints. I reach for the sensors, but quickly recoil when my fingers burn. I turn to Arthur who nods understanding. He gently pulls off the sensors, stopping whenever Merlin moans. When he gets all of them off, I place my hands on either side of his head. I open my magic to surround him and feel the faint glow of Merlin’s consciousness. I press my magic into his mind to try to wake him up, but I’m stopped by a mental barrier. “Come on Merlin.” I whisper in his ear. “Please, let me in.” I try to push through the wall, but my magic can’t get through. I sigh and pull my magic out. Arthur looks at me concerned.

  
“Alex, what’s wrong?” I shake my head and rest a hand on Merlin’s chest, his heartbeat slow and thready.

  
“He has retreated into his mind. He won’t wake up until his magic thinks he’s either needed or safe.” Arthur nods and pick Merlin up. We looks at the others and calls them to attention.

  
“Let move.” Arthur lets everyone out before him. I scout ahead to make sure no one is there. I look into the stairwell, when a loud sirens blare around me. I dash back to the others and see Merlin convulsing. I frantically rush over to him and Arthur.

  
“Sit down with him on the floor.” Arthur instantly does so. Marching fest can be heard in the distance. “Morgana.” I turn to the ancient witch. She smiles devilishly and raises her hands, chanting in the ancient language of magic. A large translucent barrier forms several feet in front of her. I focus on Merlin, who is still shaking.

  
“What’s happening to him!?” Arthur asks in A panicked voice. I move Merlin so only his head is in Arthur’s lap.

  
“He’s having a seizure. We have to let him ride it out.” I sit on his legs to still them and press down on his forearms. Gun shots ring across the hall and I turn to see six armed men firing at us. I turn back to Merlin to see his seizure dying out. “Arthur get ready to move him.” Arthur nods and grabs his shield from where he must have thrown it. I stand up and pull out my pistols. I quickly take aim and kill all six men without hesitation. I slowly move forward, the others following a little ways behind. When we get to the end of the hallway, I kick open a door and motion the others to follow. I look around the small janitor's closet we’re in. I move to the back and push a radiator out if the way to reveal a tunnel I motion the others to go first and wait till they all get in. When they do, I climb in myself and mI’ve the radiator back into place. The others look at me.

  
“What’s next?” Gwaine asks.

  
“Morgana make some light and keep going straight.” Morgana nods and creates a ball of light in her hand. I do the same and stay in the back. Together, we all make our way through the tunnel. We walk silently for what seems like hours. Every once in awhile, I look over to Merlin to see how he’s faring.

I’m about to ask Arthur if he’s woken up, when Morgana shouts, “There is a light up ahead.”

I push Gwaine out of my way and see the light Morgana was talking about. I turn around to talk to Arthur and I see light there as well. The others notice and start to draw their weapons. I look at Arthur, who is setting Merlin on the ground to get to his sword and shield, and I instantly stop him. “Get out of here. Go to the clearing. Run a mile north til you get to a cave. If I’m not there in a day, keep going north until you find a town. Call this number and tell them what’s happening okay?” I take a scrap of paper from a pocket in my jacket, and magic a phone number onto it.

Morgana takes it and looks at me confused. “What are you going to do?”

I start walking towards the men. “I’m going to make sure Merlin sees the light.”

Arthur starts running towards the light Morgana spoke of and the others follow. I take a deep breath and sit on the floor. My eyes flash gold and the tunnel seals behind me. I wait a few minutes before ten guards meet up with me. “Hey guys! How it’s going?”

The guards stop and aim their guns at me.  “Stay down, or we will fire.”

I drop the smile and look around. “No Jessica? Aw that sucks. I need to have a conversation with that one. Oh well. You’ll have to do.” I stand up and take a step forward. A few of the guards step back as well. I sigh and put my hands up. “I’m giving you the chance to run.” Four of the soldiers drop their guns and run the way they came.

One guard in the front turned around to shout at them.  “Cowards! All of you!”

I smile and point to him.  “Right so you’re the captain. Got it.” I throw my hand down, and the others fly twenty feet back before slamming into the ground unconscious. The captain looks at me terrified and starts shooting at me. I easily dodge them all and pull out my gun. I pin him to the wall and point the gun to his head.

  
“Where is Jessica?” The man frowns and shakes his head. I sigh and knock him out with a hit from my gun. I holster it and reopen the caves. When I move past the wall, I seal it again so the guards can’t follow us. I run to the of the tunnel to a metal ladder built into the wall I climb out of the tunnels and wait for my eyes to adjust to the brightness of the sun. When my eyes adjust, I am met with the barrel of a rifle to my head. I stand rigid and glance around. The others are to the left of me most are unconscious. Only Arthur remains awake, protecting Merlin. I stare at the man holding a gun to my head and frown.  

“Alex. Why are you so predictable?” I look to my left to see Jessica walk into the clearing with another group of guards. The guards surround me and aim their gun at me. Jessica walks into their circle and takes my gun. I scowl at her and clench my hands into fists.

  
“Don’t do this.” I ask her calmly. Jessica laughs then starts walking toward Arthur. I take a step forward and the guards cock their weapons. Jessica stops and shakes her head. “Don’t go near them.” I shout.

Jessica ignores me and stands over Arthur. “So, you’re the great king Arthur.” Arthur scowls and tightens his grip on Merlin. “You know, Merlin would call out to you a lot. I can see why.” she tries to stroke Arthur’s hair, but he smacks her hand away. Jessica frowns and kicks Arthur in the stomach. I take another step forward and one of the guards shoots the ground in front of me. Jessica smiles and laughs. “Maybe you’ll scream prettier than Merlin did.” Jessica raises her hand to strike Arthur and I panic.

  
“NO!” I scream and my magic reacts instantly, pushing the guards off their feet and rendering them unconscious. I’m focus on Jessica and push her to the other side of the clearing. She digs her heels into the ground to avoid hitting a tree. Angered, she shoots a ball of fire at Arthur and Merlin. I flick my hand and they both get shoved to the right. Arthur, from the force, let’s go of Merlin and flies into a tree. He tries to move to Merlin, but is stopped by vines wrapping around his legs. He tries to hack away at the vines to no avail. Jessica makes another fire ball to throw at him. I hold my hand up and cry. “Stop!” Jessica pauses to look at me. “Jessica, why are you doing this?”

Her face morphs into pure rage. “Why?! You took my father away from me! So now I’ll take away yours!”

I shake my head and lower my hand. “Marcus was a sick and twisted man. He took us from our real families a long time ago.”

  
“No!” Jessica shouts. “He raised us, and you betrayed him. Betrayed us!”

  
“He tortured us!”

  
“He did it to make us strong!. He did it because he loved us!”

I frown and take a step closer. “He loved what we could do. Please Talia, stop this. We can start over. We can be sisters again Talia.”

Jessica grows in fury. “No. NO! That’s not my name! Don't ever call me that! I won’t stop until you and Emrys are dead!” her eyes light up gold and an arrow shoots from her hand and towards Merlin. I sling my magic towards it and turn the arrow into bees. I point towards Jessica and they swarm around her. She stops them in midair, freezes them, then shoots them back at me. I send a wave of heat to melt them and notice the guards are waking up. I stick my hand in the dirt and grass starts to trap them like Arthur. Jessica growls and sets all of the grass, and some of the trees, in the field on fire. I raise my hands and the air and force my magic to pull clouds towards us. The sky darkens and rain comes down, putting out the fires. The guards got free though and are rushing towards a now wounded Arthur.

  
“No!” I point at the guards and force lightning upon them. Jessica defects the lightning away from herself and hits some of her guards. She stops the rain from falling by freezing it. She looks at me with an insane smile, and forces the ice at Merlin. I lunge over to merlin and pull a barrier in front of me. The ice breaks through and slices my arms, legs, and face, but avoids Merlin. I stand up and see Jessica coming closer with another round of ice. I quickly crouch down and force my magic into the earth. Vines surround Merlin and I, protecting us in a small dome. I can hear the ice shatter against the it.

  
“Coward!” Jessica shouts. I feel another round of ice wear down the vines. I crawl closer to Merlin’s unconscious form. I shout when I feel something large, probably a boulder, hit the dome.

  
“Merlin.” I call out and brace myself when another boulder hits. “Merlin, please wake up. Merlin!” a boulder breaks through and hits me in the back. I scream and bend over Merlin to protect him. The vines around us crumble and a large fireball lands in the center of my back. Pain blinds me, and I feel myself being placed on my knees. I look up to see Jessica wielding a spear of ice.

She raises it over her head and smiles. “Say hi to Garrett.” I close my eyes and wait for my end. I wince when I hear the sickening squelch of flesh, but I don’t feel anything. I open my eyes to see Merlin in front of me, with the sword in his stomach.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dodges knife being thrown* okay so I know that the ending of this chapter is... a bit of a cliff hanger. I am currently wiring the next chapter though.


	12. Mors Ultra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the battle.
> 
> *MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH!!!!*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so we're just gonna get right into it!

 

* * *

 

 

(Alex POV)

           My eyes widen as I watch Merlin crumple to the floor. Jessica frowns in annoyance and pulls out the spear causing Merlin to cry out in agonizing pain. Adrenaline flows through my veins and I scream with blinding fury. My magic lashes out at Jessica and traps her in an invisible bind. I stand up, ignoring the excruciating pain in my back, and stare at her with dead eyes.

           She looks back at me terrified. “Please don’t.” Her pleas fall on deaf ears as I feel my wrath pool around her. With the flick of my wrist and a loud crack, Jessica falls to the ground motionless. I turn back to Merlin and see he’s in Arthur’s arms. I drop to my knees and grab Merlin’s hand.

            He turns his head to me and smiles weakly. “You’re wearing my necklace.” I stare down at the crystal and force a watery smile on my face. He brushes the crystal and with his free hand before grabbing his side in pain

            I choke out a sob and wipe away the tears streaming down my face to no effect. “Dad, I’m so sorry for everything. I shouldn’t have yelled at you or made you think-”

            Merlin squeezes my hand and looks up at me with a face of pure awe. “You called me dad. You ever call me dad unless you’re really sad or angry at me.”

            I shake my head and swipe at those cursed tears. “I do it when I want to say I love you as well.”

            Merlin smiles at me and his tears fall from his face onto my lap. He looks up at Arthur and his smile changes to a cheeky sort of one I have never seen on his face before. “Well it’s about time you got here,” he whispers. “I thought you were gonna leave me alone.”

            Arthur frowns and shakes his head. “Do you always have to be such a girl Merlin?” He’s crying as well and he clutches Merlin tighter.

            Merlin coughs up blood and smirks. “At least I’m not a prat.”

            Arthur laughs lightly before going stern. “I’m sorry for what I did the last time we were together. When I was there at the lake, all I could think about was how much I loved you. I should have said something.” Merlin laughs. Arthur looks at him surprised “What?”

            Merlin smiles and quietly laughs. “I never thought I’d hear you say those words.

            Arthur looks at him, eyes red from the crying. “I’m sorry?”

            Merlin shakes his head. “I love you.”

            Arthur stares at Merlin shocked before leaning over and kissing Merlin. I look away uncomfortably until I hear Arthur speak. “I love you too, you stupid girl.” Merlin smiles but then winces as blood spurts from his wound. I panic and quickly plant my hands on the wound. I look to Merlin and notice his skin is a deadly shade of white.

            I lean closer to Merlin and shake my head. “No. Nonononononono! You can’t die! I won’t let you!” Merlin smiles and places a blood covered hand on my cheek.

            I bat the hand away and quickly chant every healing spell I know. “Ad Sanadum! Quo sanguis supprimitur! Salvum Illum!” nothing is working and when Merlin’s eyes flutter shut and his hand goes limp in mine, my world shuts down.

             I sit staring at the lifeless body of my father. Tears freely streaming down my face as I watch the world collapse. I can hear someone say something, but it sounds like there in a bubble. I don’t care. I just don’t.

            I pick up Merlin’s body and hold him close to me. “Please don’t leave. I’m sorry. Please don’t.” I sit there motionless as I clutch onto Merlin.

            All around me I can hear muffled voices. “Most… killed them.” I hear pieces of there conversation as I cradle Merlin in my arms. “Get Merlin…. burn the bodies.”

            _“Burn them. Burn Merlin? No NO! They can’t!”_ My magic flares around me instinctively. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I shriek.  

            “NO!” My magic lashes out and forces everyone back. It pools into the surroundings and I become one with them. I can feel the life forces of everything. The strong trees and timid animals flowing around me. I fall on my stomach and let my magic merge me with the earth when I feel it. A small spark glowing warm and bright right next to me. I let my magic wander over to it and embrace the warmth in this world of darkness. I open my eyes to find the culprit of the spark only to find Merlin lying there as if he was asleep. I stare at him surprised before moving my magic towards him. There, right in his heart, is the tiny spark of magic.

            “Holy fuck.” I painfully stand up and walk over to Merlin. I lay him so he’s flat on his back and raise the earth beneath him so he rests at my waist. I rest my hands on his heart and pull the energy around me into his heart. Slowly the grass turns brown. Trees and flowers wilt and animals fall into the void. I ignore their pain and focus on Merlin. The energy the energy flows around me and sparks into the physical plane like lightning. The force tears at me reopening the wounds on my arms and making the burns feel almost unbearable. I scream in anguish and continue for Ching the energy into Merlin. With one final crack, the energy stops and I crumple to the cool grass. The last thing I see is Merlin staring down at me terrified before I fall into darkness.

 

* * *

 

(Arthur POV)

            I watch in shock when, on the other side of the clearing, Merlin is standing with a large chunk of ice protruding from his stomach. Everything feels like its going in slow motion as I watch him crumple to the ground. I quickly hack away the rest of the vines trapping me and I race over to Merlin. While I’m getting there, I see Alex’s back severely blistered and bleeding. I wince at the horrible pain she must be feeling but quickly focus back on the crumpled form that is Merlin. I kneel in the squishy blood-soaked dirt and hold Merlin in my arms. He smiles weakly and together we wince at the sound of the cracking of bones and the soft thud of a body landing in grass. Alex comes and grabs Merlin’s hand. I faintly listen to there conversation, but I’m mostly focused on Merlin. Oh, my gods Merlin. He looks almost the exact same as the time of the lake. His hair is much longer, past his shoulders, and his eyes show the life of a man much older than Merlin. I pull out of my thoughts when I realize Merlin said something to me.

            I collect my thoughts and smile weakly. “Do you always have to be such a girl Merlin?” Tears start running down my face, but I ignore them as Merlin tries to speak.

            Merlin coughs a little and I panic slightly when blood comes out of his mouth. “At least I’m not a prat.” He whispers weakly.

            I laugh and sob a little, my calmness dissolving completely. “I’m sorry for what I did the last time we were together. When I was there at the lake, all I could think about was how much I loved you. I should have said something.” Merlin then of all things starts laughing.

            I look at him surprised and very confused. “What?”

            Merlin smiles and whispers, “I never thought I’d hear you say those words.”

            I look at him even more confused. “I’m sorry?”

            Merlin shakes his head and whispers softly. “I love you.”

            I stare at Merlin shocked. How could he not know how much I love him? I smile and lean over him. I slowly and tenderly kiss him. He hesitates at first but quickly joins in eagerly. When I pull away I smirk before saying, “I love you, you stupid girl.”

            Everything after that went so fast. Merlin starts coughing up a lot of blood and its oozing out of his wound, staining my pants, hands, and the grass beneath us. I stare at Merlin’s stark white face as Alex shouts strange words at Merlin, her eyes glowing a molten gold. When Merlin’s eyes close, My heart stops and I stare at my love’s corpse. I sit there for what feels like an eternity before I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look to my left to see Gwaine staring at me silently. I gently set Merlin down and step away.

            Percival walks over to us and points to the pile of bodies the other knights are making at the edge of the clearing. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Burn them.” I glance at Alex who has gone rigid and pulls Merlin closer. “But not Merlin. Just the rest of them.” Percival nods and helps Lancelot gather the rest of the bodies. I turn to face Alex again and I take a deep breath. I slowly walk over to her and rest my hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She screams and a surge of magic pulses out of her and sends me flying. Gwaine must have been close to us because he gets knocked back into a tree and falls unconscious. I slam into the ground ten feet in front of him, my breath getting knocked out of me. When I can breathe normally, I slowly sit up and wince at the pain in my shoulder. I turn to Alex angrily but stop in my tracks. She’s staring at the ground with her face contorted into pure rage. Energy crackles and whips around her and Merlin, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to rise. After a minute her face morphs back into the blank stare she had earlier.

            I slowly stand up and call out to her hesitantly, “Alex?” her head lifts a little and my vision goes black. I fall down to the ground and feel pure energy wash over me pushing me down and making it hard to breathe. I lay on the ground in inky blackness and fell a wave of agonizing sorrow slowly choking me. Suddenly, it pulls away and I gasp for breath. I quickly sit up to assess the situation and see Alex has created an alter looking mound of stone underneath Merlin. She slowly places her hands on Merlin’s heart and her eyes glow impossibly brighter. Gold lightning sparks around her and the grass beneath her feet turns brown and dies. The bran spreading and I quickly crawl away towards Gwaine trying to avoid touching it. When I get to Gwaine I try to drag him away with me, but he’s too heavy so I close my eyes and wait for the end. The ground below dries up and crumbles underneath my weight, but I feel nothing else. I open my eyes and see that the destruction continues into the wilderness, taking trees and plants with it, but ignoring and animals. I look back at Alex fearfully to see her fall to the ground next to the altar.

            I stand up and make my way to her to see if she’s alright when my heart stops at the scene in front of me. Merlin’s eyes slowly blink open and he quickly sits up panting. He looks over to Alex and stares at the blood pooling out of her wounds. He holds his hand out to her and whispers something I can’t hear. The blood stops and her eyes flutter shut. Merlin smiles his beautiful smile and sits up straight. He looks around him confused before his eyes land on me.

            He stares at me shocked than frightened slightly. “Arthur? But I thought you were-” I ignore what he says and race up to him. I leap onto the stone slab and envelope Merlin in an embrace. Merlin freezes in my grip then looks up at me shocked. “So I guess I wasn’t dreaming when you told me you love me huh?”

            I chuckle fondly and lean in softly for a kiss. I savor the sweet taste of Merlin and hold him tighter as we sit there for an eternity. When we pull apart Merlin looks like a confused child. I laugh and kiss his forehead sweetly. Merlin smiles and looks around us. He sees the burning bodies at the edge of the clearing and stiffens. I pull him into another embrace and shift myself on the stone altar so I block his view.

            He looks up to me scared and asks. “Is she gone?” I look at him confused before I realize he was talking about Jessica. I nod. His face becomes solemn and his eyes age to show his true age. He slowly pulls away from me and tries to get off the rock.

            I quickly grab his arm and he turns to me annoyed. “You were just brought back from the dead Merlin, Even I was disorientated at first,” I smirk at him hoping he’ll stay.

            Merlin rolls his eyes at me. “I’m fine.” he slides off the rock and gets three steps ahead before he collapses. I quickly scoop him up before he hits the ground and hold him bridal style. He looks at tiredly. “Stupid clotpole. I… was… fine…….” his eyes close and he passes out. I shake my head at Merlin’s stubbornness and lay him back on the altar. I then go to the other side of it where Alex rests. I kneel in the grass next to her and place my hand on her heart. Its thankfully beating, but it's weak. I carefully pick her up, avoiding her back, and rest her on the stone altar next to Merlin. I place her gently on her stomach and carefully peel off any remaining fabric from her back. Her back is raw and bloody. Bits of ice are still stuck in her arms and shoulders. I try to pry one of the shards out, but all I end up accomplishing is a low keening noise to emanate from Alex. I shake my head and walk away from Alex and toward the others.

             “Listen up we need to follow Alex’s plan and get to that town.” The others walk closer to me and I start giving them orders. “Lancelot, go try and get Gwaine standing.” Lancelot nods and walks over to the still unconscious Gwaine. I look over to Merlin and Alex. Alex can’t be carried in my arms because of her burns. I look towards Percival and motion him closer. “Can you carry her on your back?”

             Percival walks over to Alex and gently maneuvers her so her arms are around his neck and her legs are wrapped around his waist. He nods over to me to acknowledge my command and I return the gesture. I look around for Morgana and see she is pulling the strange bag Alex had from a bush. I walk up to her and keep a little distance.

            She hands me the bag before speaking. “There’s medical supplies in there.” I open the bag and see its one of the bags Alex and Merlin have enchanted. Inside is gauze, bottles full of herbs and… a spellbook? “I think this was meant for Merlin,” Morgana whispers to me.

            I look up at her and nod. “We have to leave.” Morgana nods to me and takes the bag back. I walk over to Merlin and gather him in my arms. It was way too easy to lift him. I hold him close to my body and make my way North, the others following me close behind.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Don't forget to Kudos and leave a comment!
> 
> Also, I did write a halloween special. I just didn't want to put it in when I said I would because it spoils a lot of stuff. I will post it when the time is right! well if I don't see you by the 14th, happy Valentine's Day!


	13. Time Never Stands Still

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and the others make it to the caves and try to heal Alex, but then Merlin wakes up.

Alex POV

        Pain. blinding, white-hot pain is all I know. A rhythmic thump sends a new wave of pure venom into my back and arms. After an eternity of this torture, the movement stops, but the pain just builds and builds and builds and… oh, gods. I feel myself being moved and the worst pain in my life following it. I’m set on my stomach on something soft and groan at the throbbing in my back. A cool feel is coating my back and it numbs the blistering pain in. I sink into the softness below me finally relaxed. Then another liquid is introduced to my back and the pain becomes worse. Oh, Gods please stop! MERLIN PLEASE STOP. A soft light glows next to me and my body goes numb. Unconsciousness greets me and I willingly embrace it.

 

* * *

 

 

Arthur POV

        It takes us an hour to get to the caves. We had to go slow to try not to jostle Alex’s wounds. When we finally see the mouth of the deep darkness, Morgana surprisingly runs ahead. By the time everyone else gets in there she already has three pallets made out of blankets on the floor. Lancelot places Gwaine on one then stands at the entrance to keep guard. I set down the sleeping Merlin next to him and together, Percival and I try to get Alex situated. We lay her on her stomach and I flinch at the pain filled moan that came out of her. I look at the sky outside and see that the sun is setting. “Percival,” I turn towards the giant of a man to give him orders, “take Lancelot and search for firewood and something to eat. We need to make camp.” Percival glances at Morgana warily, but I rest a hand on his shoulder to reassure him.

        Percival nods. “Yes my lord.” he turns towards the caves and leaves with Lancelot. I make my way to Morgana and see she’s pulling out the vials of herbs we discovered earlier. While she is doing that, I turn to look at Alex. her back has stopped bleeding. Parts of it are starting to turn a strange green color though. I place a hand on her forehead. When I feel the heat radiating off of her, I sigh in frustration.

        “She has an infection doesn’t she,” Morgana asks solemnly. I jump at the break in silence and nod. I look over at her and see she’s leafing through the book I saw earlier. When she turns the page again, a strange rectangular thing made out of paper falls out. I pick it up and see that the back has a triangular shaped flap, that was sealed at the end. I rip the sealed part away and carefully open the rectangle. Inside is a few sheets of… more paper? I pull it out of the package and unfold it to reveal a letter.

        I look at it curiously before reading it aloud. “Dear Merlin,” Morgana looks up from the book to listen to me, “if you have this letter, it means you got yourself into trouble again and I had to save you. It also means that either I am unconscious and can’t help you, or… I’m not with you at all. Well, anyway in this bag is a bunch of stuff to help you. Blankets, enough food to last you a week on your own, herbs and gauze for the remedies you like to use, Modern meds that I ALWAYS use, and a spell book that I also wrote how to use the medication in as well. Spare clothes for you and I, passports, IDs, and two thousand dollars in six different currencies are in there too. I wrote on the second piece of paper what you should do if its Thalia. I hope all of this helps, and just, please. Please be careful. Love Alex.” I set the letter down and look at Morgana.

        She looks at Alex with respect. “She really cares for him.” She looks at the book and grabs a small vial. She uncorks it and a strong smell of mint emanates from it. She pours the concoction onto Alex’s back and Alex immediately relaxes. Morgana then, after looking at the book pulls out a brown bottle and some white linen. “Its called antiseptic,” she says pointing to the bottle, “It supposedly helps stop the infection, but it burns a lot.” she hands the bottle to me and waves her hand over the linen. With a flash of gold from her eyes, the linen turns impossibly whiter. “I need you to pour that on her back, so I can place the bandages on it.” I look down to the bottle and uncork it. The minute the solution touches Alex, she screams. I quickly pour the rest of the bottle onto her back and then hold her shoulders as Morgana places the linen onto her.

        When Morgana finally gets the linen onto Alex's back, she starts struggling against me and her screams turn into words.”OH, GODS PLEASE STOP! OH MERLIN PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!” her squirming and writhing start to peel off the bandages from her back so I have to hold her down tightly.

        “Morgana!” I shout over Alex’s screams. “Put her to sleep!” Morgana’s eyes flash gold and Alex's screams weaken for a moment, only to intensify. Morgana looks at Alex shocked before quickly flipping through the pages of the book. She goes to the bag and pulls out a strange vial with a needle attached to it. She’s about to do something with it when alright light blinds us both. Alex’s screams die down and when the light fades, Merlin is sitting up and holding a hand over her sleeping form. He looks up at me and smiles before leaning over Alex and grabbing the book and needle from Morgana.

        He looks at the page Morgana was on and the empty bottle of antiseptic laying on its side in front of me. “You should’ve used the morphine before pouring that over her back.” he points to the bottle at my feet. “And you didn’t need a lot of the antiseptic either.” He looks over at Alex and sighs. “Why do you always get into the worst of trouble?”

        I can’t help it and I start laughing. “Says the girl who would always end up at the blade of a bandit.” Merlin looks at me irritated but sighs and accepts defeat. I stare at him shocked. When did he ever claim defeat so easily? I study him intently as he takes the gauze from where Morgana placed it and he slowly starts wrapping around Alex’s chest and arms. I turn away out of modesty when he does it, cheeks going red from realizing she had no shirt on.

        “Didn’t you carry her?” I’m pulled out of my thoughts by Merlin staring at me with his cheeky grin that makes my heart ache.

        I shake those thoughts from my head. “Excuse me for being a gentleman. Well to be fair to you, you are a girl so I guess you would be used to looking at them.” Merlin’s smile dropped and he turns back to finish wrapping Alex. I reach out to touch his hand when Lancelot and Percival walk in.

        “Merlin!” Lancelot shouts as he sets the firewood on the ground and makes his way over to Merlin.

        Merlin turns around to the mouth of the cave and stares in wonder at the sight of the long-dead knight. “Lancelot? You’re alive!” He stands up and embraces the knight. Lancelot smiles and returns it. Merlin then walks over to Percival and hugs him as well. He turns around to look for any other knights and sees Gwaine on a pallet unconscious. “What happened to him?” He walks over to him and crouches down next to him.

        “He was thrown against a tree and knocked out,” I tell Merlin. I refrain from telling him Alex did it, not knowing what he’ll do. Merlin nods and leans his close to Gwaine’s. He whispers something I can’t hear and his eyes flash gold.

        Gwaine opens his eyes and sits up slowly. “Wow, that girl really packs a punch doesn’t she princess?” He turns to Merlin and stares at him for a second before gathering him in a hug.

        Merlin squeaks and tries to pull away. “Gwaine let go!” Gwaine laughs and lets Merlin go. He quickly backs away and stands next to me. I grab his hand and smile reassuringly at him.

         He looks back at Alex and sighs. “How are you guys here?”

         I stare at him confused, “Alex used a tracking spell to find where you were-”

        “No,” Merlin stops me, “How are you here? How did you return to life? I wasn't there to help you. How did you find Arthura and come back to life?” Realization dawns on my face and I try to respond.

        “Your destiny was transferred to me.” I look down to see Alex resting her head on her arms and looking up at me. “When you were in peril, the Fates spoke of a new prophecy saying the Emrys of blood must help magic before it is destroyed. The dragons heard it, told me and sent me to Avalon where Freya woke up Arthur, Gaius, the knights, and Gwen to help.” She glances over at Morgana before looking back at Merlin. “Morgana was also awoken because the Fates gave her a second chance.”

        Merlin looks at her with tear-filled eyes. “Gaius is alive?”

        Alex dismisses it quickly, “yeah, he’s alive.” she tries to sit up, but Merlin quickly stops her. “I’m fine Merlin,” she snaps back, “I need to meditate.” Merlin understands and helps her into a sitting position. She crosses her legs and takes a deep breath. “How did this happen Merlin. I thought you went to New York to see modern technology.”

        Merlin frowns and starts to shake. I wrap my arms around his waist and together, we slowly sit down. He sighs and curls into me. I chuckle and place a kiss on his forehead. Merlin looks back at Alex and begins his story. “ The real reason I went to New York was for your birthday. I found a druid follower to make a necklace using a shard from the crystal of Neahtid.” Alex fingers the crystal around her neck. “I shattered the crystal eight years ago when it showed you burning to death.” Merlin shudders as he looks at the burns on Alex’s back. “Although the shards can’t see through time, they still can hold an immense amount of power. While I was waiting for the crystal to be finished, I took photos of New York for you. I know you haven’t been there in a few years, so I got some of the memorials. When I was taking pictures of the 9/11 fountains, I ran into a girl and she knocked me down. She felt back and offered me a meal so we went to a cafe nearby and shared a meal. On the way back I started getting very dizzy. I barely made it to my room before collapsing. That’s when Jessica came with some men. I tried to get away, but only made it to the end of the hallway before she knocked me out.”

        A light flares up next to Alex as Lancelot lights a fire silently. I turn back to Alex to see the anger in her eyes. “She will never touch you again.” Merlin nods and looks at the fire. I grab onto his hand and look at him. His face is stricken with unease.

        “Merlin,” I whisper into to his ear, “what’s wrong?”

        Merlin looks up at me then back to the fire. “I don’t know how this happened.” I stare at him curiously while he continued on. “The original prophecy said that only you would return to this world when. It needed you the most. Why now? There aren’t any major wars or natural disasters. Why are you here?”

        I look at him sadly, “because you are magic. The worlds need you.” Merlin’s eyes widen and he looks Alex who nods sullenly.

        He turns back to me. “I still don’t understand why they chose Alex.”

        Alex starts laughing. Her laugh is full of venom and when she stops she has a look of pure rage. “You were gone Merlin.” she filled his name with pure rage and she continued on. “You were gone so the Fates chose me.”

        I look at Merlin to see he’s starting to shake. “Calm down Alex. Its not his fault he was taken.”

        Alex looks at me angrily. “You don’t know what I’m talking about, but he does. He was gone long before Jessica took him.”

        I can feel Merlin’s heart race with my arm and I glare at Alex. “Calm down now!”

        Alex’s rage spikes and the ground shake a little. “Don’t tell me what to do, you’re not my king. You’re not anyone's king,” she looks at Merlin with tears streaming down her face. “You were gone long before I was even born.” She waves her hand and the wall next to her cracks. “You should have told me There was a chance that he would come back,” she says while pointing at me. “You should have told me that’s why you were always depressed, and don’t tell me you aren’t depressed. The tattoos and hair are proof of that.”

        I look down at Merlin. His hair is down to his shoulders and very knotted and greasy. I chalked it up to captivity, but now I realize in the video at the inn, his hair was the same. I look at his body, but can’t see any tattoos because of the long sleeve shirt and pants he’s wearing. I look back up at Alex and listen more.  
“Is this why you drink? To forget the pain? Is this why you put that poison in your body? So you can numb yourself?” Alex shouts and the walls tremble. The others back away and try to pull me and Merlin away, but Merlin won’t move. I look down at him and see he’s no longer shaking. In fact, he perfectly calm. The walls stop trembling and Alex stops crying for a moment. “You should have let me in.”

        Merlin moves towards her and gathers her into his arms. He holds her shorter frame gently to avoid hurting her wounds. He rests her head on his shoulder and starts talking. “I’m so sorry.” Alex leans further into Merlin and starts cry. Merlin musses her hair and whispers calming nothings into her ear. Tears start falling down his face as he starts talking again. “Its been so long since I’ve had someone to love. I promise I will never keep anything from you. I love you Arthura. I love you so much.” They stay like that until Alex falls asleep. Merlin gently sets her down on her pallet and takes blankets from his to lay over her. When he stands up he goes over to the bag and starts digging through it. He pulls out a small cloth bag a large rag and a bundle of clothes he looks over at me and smiles. “I’ll be right back.” he moves back into the dark of the cave. After a while, I see a familiar blue glow and relax. I move closer to the fire and help Lancelot cook the rabbits he and Percival caught. We take a few flatter stones found by a creek nearby and place them by the fire. Once the rocks get hot enough, Lancelot and I place strips of meat on the stone to cook. While I’m working, I hear snickering behind me.

        I roll my eyes continue working. “What’s so funny Gwaine?” I hear him shift and walk to the other side of the fire before sitting down.

        “It's a rare sight to see the princess actually doing work.” Gwaine chuckles.

        Gwaine looks at me with a devilish smile and glare at him. “I do plenty of work! Running an entire country is hard work!” I stare at the meat on the stones and use a knife to flip it over.

        Gwaine smirks and leans back. “Oh yeah, it sounds like a real challenge. Signing papers and the nice clothes. I don’t know how you can do it!” Gwaine lays on his back and fakes swooning. The others laugh at him, but I stare at the fire solemnly.

        “It doesn’t matter anymore.” The others stop laughing and stare at me confused. “Alex was right. There is no Camelot. I am no longer a king nor are you knights. We may know who we are, but the rest of the world, they think we’re stories.” I pull the meat off the stones and place them on a cloth nearby to cool. Morgana comes to sit next to me and makes a metal dinner plate appear from thin air. The plate is rusty and is chipping at some ends. She stares at it confused before waving her hand over it, polishing it to show the crest of the Pendragons on it. She takes the meat from the cloth and sets it on the plate.

        She looks up at me and smiles. “So what if you don’t have a kingdom. You still have your friends and the ones you love. That should be enough for you.” I smile at her and hand her a piece of meat. She gladly takes it and settles back down. Everyone one else grabs some and starts to eat. When I take my first bite, I taste the familiarity of the times spent on patrol or hunting. I sigh and wish I had some of that frozen sweet-milk Alex gave us earlier.

        Lancelot answers my thoughts by sighing, “I wish this was a cheeseburger.”

        I laugh and lean back. “One thing is for sure, the food has definitely gotten better with time.”

        “Yeah, the alcohol has too.” I turn around to see Merlin coming back from the depths of the caves. His hair is much shorter and styled nicely. He is wearing a black jacket with a strange hood that wraps around him and really tight black pants. The pants he has on now have more tears than the ones he had on before. He still wears the boots he had on before but they’re cleaner now. In his arms are the towel, bag, and the bundle of clothes he wore before. He takes the bag and towel and throws them next to Alex. he sits down next to her and starts to pull off her boots. I stare at him alarmed as he starts to peel off her pants as well, leaving her in just her under drawers and the gauze wrapping her torso. I notice in the corner of my vision that the other knights are turning away embarrassed.

        I stop Merlin before he does anything else. “What are you doing?!” Merlin turns towards me confused.

        He looks towards the knights and frowns. “The less injured Arthura looks, the less Jadeanne will freak out.”

        I look at him curiously. “You know Jadeanne?”

        Merlin stares at me incredulously for a moment before speaking. “Why wouldn’t I know my own daughter’s fiance.” I can feel the red in my cheeks as I think about what I said. Merlin just chuckles and grabs Alex’s bag. He pulls out a pair of leggings and soft looking tunic and carefully dresses Alex before laying a blanket over her once more.

        I look at her for a moment astounded at what I see. Most of the wounds on her arms are gone, save for a few bruises on here and there. I look up to Merlin who is currently cutting off the gauze underneath Alex’s tunic. When he pulls them away, hardly anything is on them. I stare at them shocked before Merlin throws them and his old clothes into the fire. He stuffs Alex’s suit into the bag, along with the towel and medical supplies and throws it to Morgana. “There’s a change of clothes for all of you in there. The less we look like we almost died, the less likely Arthura will get her ass kicked by Jadeanne.” He grabs one of the small silver pouches Alex grabbed earlier and rips the top off. He pulls out a small tan chip of something and pops it into his mouth. He leans back and moans slightly and he eats a small yellow chip. I motion for him to come closer and he leans against me still eating those weird chips. I look at the sleeping form of Alex when I think of something. “I can smell the smoke from you trying to think Arthur.”

        I look down at Merlin annoyed before sighing. “Why do you call Alex Arthura?”

        Merlin glances at me for a moment before staring into the fire. “It was the name I gave her when she was born.” Did he name Alex after me? I look down at Merlin to see his eyes downcast. I smile and lean forward to rest my chin on his neck. Slowly and gently, I tilt my head and plant soft tender kisses to his neck. He leans into me a little and moans quietly. I open my eyes a little to see Lancelot turning the other way and Morgana trying to stifle a laugh. I quickly pull back, my face turning a deep shade of red. Morgana laughs and throws me a new bundle of clothes. Thankful for the distraction, I hastily pull off my bloody armor and pull on a tight, red, short sleeved tunic and a pair of jeans. I slip on my boots like Merlin did and stand up. I walk to the edge of the cave and grab Excalibur and the shield Alex gave to me. I make my way to Morgana and grab the bag from her.

        I’m about to put the shield in it when Merlin stops me. “You can’t just throw weapons into a bag!” He the shield and Excalibur out of my hands. “Here, let me do this. He pulls the lace from his shoe off and ties the shield and Excalibur together loosely. His eyes flash gold and the bulky mess of weapons is replaced with a pendant. Merlin smiles and hands it to me. The shield and sword have shrunken down to appear like very fine metal work. I look to Merlin who just smiles at me with his goofy grin. “When you want to use them just pull the necklace off and say abregdan. This way you can always have them in public.” I smile and tie the pendant loosely around my neck. I move over to Merlin and lift off his feet. “Arthur! What are you doing? Put me down!”

        I chuckle and rest him on top of his pallet. “You have been through hell and back. You need to rest. In the morning we’ll figure out next move. Merlin pouts and moves to stand up, but I push him back down. “I mean it, Merlin. Don’t be such a girl.” I draw out his name like a usually do and looks at me annoyed.

        He sits up and glares daggers at me. “Prat.”

        I smile and kiss his cheek. “Clotpole.”

        “Hey, that's my word!” I smile and kiss the annoyance off of Merlin’s face.

        “Sleep.” I walk away and hear the sound of Merlin sliding his pallet closer to Alex. I move to the mouth of the cave and find the other knights to be there. I sit down and stare at the sky above. The stars are faded and hard to see.

        Percival sits next to me and stares at the sky as well. “He’s different.” I turn to him confused. “Merlin is different.”

        “He’s right,” Lancelot chimes a few feet across from me, “He’s grim when he thinks no one is watching.”

        Gwaine nods and adds, “his smile is never truly there. Not like it was in Camelot.”

        I look over to Merlin, who has Alex curled up against him, and see he is awake. He looks down at Alex with such sadness. I sit up and shout, “Merlin sleep.” He yelps in fright, then settles back in next to Alex. I turn to the others.

        Gwaine sits next to Percival and lays his head on Percival’s shoulder. “What now?” I look over at him to listen. “What do we do now? Merlin is safe. The threat is gone. What do we do now?”

        I look over to Merlin to see he’s sleeping finally. “We live.”

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay guys I hope you enjoyed this chapter! don't forget to comment and leave a kudos! Bye.


	14. Not real chapter

        Hey everyone. I know it’s been almost a month since I posted on this story and it’s gonna be a bit longer. I currently have the worst of the homework load as I run the home stretch to graduation. As a consolation though, I will be posting my creative writing projects for my World Mythology and Sciance Fiction/Fantasy classes. Some are short, some are long, and some are just terrible. I hope that you still want to read more of this story and know that I HAVE NOT ABANDONED IT! Anyway I wish everyone a happy Easter and bid you all goodbye for now!


	15. new story is up

hey guys! the new story I promised you is up on my page. I hope you enjoy it!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex wakes up in the caves and questions Merlin.   
> Heavy conversations. And some fluff and angst in between!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m baaack. Okay, not completely. I had this chapter done for a while, but I didn’t want to post it because it kinda leaves on a cliff hanger. I didn’t want to do that to you guys because if haven’t event started the next chapter. Then, the goddess of food bribery came and told me if I posted the next chapter she’ll buy me coffee whenever I want it. (Thanks J!) Anyways, her is the long awaited next chapter!

 

Alex POV

 

It's cold. Why is it that when you wake up it's always so cold? I feel a warm mass next to me and instantly curl into it. The familiar scent of forests and hay calms me as I sigh and curl closer, trying to obtain some of the heat it’s putting off. I feel a deep vibration in their chest and an arm wrap around me, pulling me closer. I crack my eyes open and look up to see Merlin smiling.

“Good morning Arthura,” Merlin whispers to me. Heat rushes to my cheeks as I push away and sit up on the bedroll. I casually glance around and notice we’re in a cave.

Memories flood my brain and I rub my eyes to clear them from sleep. My head starts to ache and I turn to look at the others, only to feel a strong burning sensation rip through my back. “Shit.” I flick my wrist and the bag I brought soars through the air and lands in my lap. I open it up and pull out the med bag I usually keep in there. I pull out gauze, aloe, and a bottle of Iris’s whiskey. Carefully, I pull off my shirt, Merlin probably dressed me last night, and start to unwrap the dirty gauze. I almost have it completely off, when a blanket shrouds me in darkness. “What the hell?” I pull it off and look up at Merlin. “Why did you do that?” Merlin scowls and points to the others. “Okay,” I pull the blanket around me to appease my annoying father before continuing, “at least one of them has seen me naked otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to help me. Who was it?” Arthur turns a brilliant shade of red as he slowly stands up. I smirk and stand up painfully to face him. I grab his hand and quickly lead him over to Merlin. I throw the blanket at Merlin and face him so Arthur is staring at my back. “You Arthur, are going to help me rewrap my wounds, while Merlin keeps my bits from showing.

Arthur grows even redder and Merlin begins to match that shade, but only in his ears. “Arthura I don’t like this idea.” Merlin stammers out.

I smirk and completely unwrap my chest. “I didn’t ask for your opinion dad, and stop calling me Arthura.” I bend down for the aloe and hand it to Arthur. “Just smear that over the remaining burns my magic didn’t heal.” A moment passes before I feel the cool touch of gel numbing my back. “Oh my god, that feels fucking amazing.” I moan in delight as he smears more onto my arms. He takes the gauze and quickly wraps the aloe smeared skin and then rushes back to where he was before. I reach down for my shirt and throw it on before leaning against the cave wall and taking a small sip of the whiskey. The warm magic that Iris infuses it with heals my aching joints and helps me relax. Merlin slides down next to me and reaches for the bottle. I pull it away and glare at him.

“What?” he asks innocently. I glare at him and he puts his hand in the air in defense. “I’ll drink as much as you do okay?” My glare intenses and Merlin sighs in defeat. “Fine half of what you do.” I nod in acceptance and take another sip before giving it to him. He takes a sip of it and leans against the wall more relaxed than I have seen him be in a long time. He turns to look at the fire and we sit there in pleasurable silence. Its a few minutes before Merlin looks towards me. “What’s happened while I was… gone.”

I sigh and take a long drink of whiskey. “I worked for most of it. A nasty case where a killer was murdering women by strangling them.” Merlin took a sip of whiskey and stared intently at me. “When I was relaxing in my house, I heard a voice start talking to me. At first, I thought it was you playing a prank, but then the voice told me his name was Kilgharrah and I was destined to help Arthur save you from an evil darkness. He told me to go to Avalon and talk to Freya, then disappeared. So there I was, drunk off my ass, with no clue where Arthur was. The only help I had was an image of a lake magically sent to my brain by a cryptic, overgrown, talking lizard.”

Merlin laughs and leans back. “Kilgharrah was always like that. Try saving an entire kingdom when the only help you have are cryptic riddles and a convoluted destiny told to you by a thousand-year-old creature that only wanted you to help him escape so he could burn down the place you were trying to protect.”

I laugh a little and continue my story, “after I get Arthur his friends and bring them to your place, some learning of the modern world ensued, and the quest to find you began. We went to Ealdor and Iris used a blood locator spell, went to Tyler for weapons and stuff, then stormed the castle, killed the fearsome dragon, and saved the swooning damsel in distress.” Merlin scowls at me and I laugh. I take another long drink of whiskey before putting it back in the bag. I stand up and look at the others on the other side of the cave. “Alright, I think we lived as cavemen long enough.” I sit down on my pallet and pull on my boots. Everyone looks at me shocked, but I ignore them and make my way out of the cave to see its about noon. I groan thinking about the beating I’m about to get from Jadeanne. I move to a nice looking tree across from the cave and sit down. I close my eyes and let the life of the forest envelope me. I focus the energy on my back and feel it slowly heal my back. I almost heal my wounds, but I feel a strong force coming towards me.

I open my eyes and watch as Arthur marches out towards me fuming. “You shouldn’t do stuff like that to Merlin.”

I look up at the former king and tilt my head to the side. “What do you mean?”

Arthur sighs and sits cross-legged next to me. “Merlin is your father, you shouldn’t treat him like that.”

I lean my head against the tree and look up. The sun is shining through the branches of the big oak tree. “My relationship with Merlin is… complicated. For the better part of my life, I didn’t know Merlin was my father. That combined with the family issues I’ve had for basically my entire life, treating Merlin like a father isn't really in the cards.” I glance at Arthur to see him deep in thought. I lean back against the tree to meditate again.

“I was like that once.” he looks at me before continuing. “My father wasn’t the greatest person. He murdered many people in his vendetta against magic.” I roll my eyes and lean back against the tree, all too familiar with this story of carnage. “He also killed my mother to produce an heir.” I sit up and look at him completely taken off guard. Arthur nods with a grim smile. “My father made a deal with a sorceress to help my mother produce an heir and it ended up killing her. My father also had an affair which led to Morgana. He never told us, and when Morgana found out, she snapped. She made it her goal to kill me and my father so she could rule. Those things shattered my faith in people. It even led me to exile Gwen.” he leans back against the tree and looks me in the eye. “The reason I’m telling you this is because I loved my father, even after all of the terrible things he did. I don’t want you to push him away because of what others have done to you.”

Tears begin to fall from my face and I stubbornly swipe them away. I lunge towards Arthur and wrap him in a deep embrace. The former king is startled at first but returns the embrace carefully, so he doesn’t aggravate my back. “Thank you.” I pull away and stand up. Arthur follows suit and together, we make our way into the cave. The others have cleaned up the small camp and have changed out of there armor. I reach for the bag, but Merlin gets to it first. He looks at me warningly before walking towards the others. We all stand in a circle and I hold out my hands. “Well come on, we haven’t got all day.” the others grab a hold of my arms except for Merlin.

He stands to the side looking at us confused. “What are you doing?”

I stare at him annoyed. “I’m taking everyone home.”

Merlin looks at me confused before bending over and laughing. “No, you’re not.” He walks over to me and pulls me away from the others. “You just spent an extreme amount of magic. You could end up getting exhausted and passing out halfway there.”

Merlin looks at me, waiting for my snipe back to him. I glance at Arthur and sigh. “Alright fine. Just be careful dad.” I stand next to Arthur, who nods at me approvingly. I smile a little and wait for Merlin to hold out his hands. Instead, he closes his eyes and a bright light blinds me. When the light clears we are standing in the middle of the meadow. I look around surprised before I march over to Merlin. “You told me we had to hold on to the people we wanted to move and they had to keep their eyes closed.”

Merlin looks at me and shakes his head. “I told you that because you needed to learn how to focus on where you’re going first. When you do it the way I do, you not only have to focus on where you’re going but also who you’re taking.” I huff in annoyance and stomp off towards the house. The others hesitantly follow as I make it to the tree line. I turn around to see Merlin staring at the meadow. He picks a flower near the big tree and watches it crumble in his hand.

I make my way back over to him and lace my fingers into his. “Once we rest for a bit, we’ll come back here and fix this mess.” Merlin looks at me with tired eyes and weakly nods. I gently pull him to the edge of the meadow and leads the others to the house. Once in a while, I glance back at Merlin to see his face blank. His true age showing in his eyes. It's so easy to forget that he is centuries old. The way he acts and looks, it's like he’s younger than me. Then when it's times like these, his eyes show centuries of life. I turn back to him and thump him on the head. He pulls out of his blank stare and looks at me annoyed. “You were staring. Also, I thought it would be funny.”

Merlin is about to make a retort, but is cut off by Arthur sweeping him off his feet, resulting in the retort to be a small squeak. “What the fuck Arthur?!” everyone laughs as Arthur plants a kiss on Merlin’s forehead and continues on towards the house. I smile at the scene that unfolded and happily follow behind the couple. Arthur had put Merlin down at this point and they start to banter. At first, I was going to intervene, but then I noticed it was more positive than negative.

I move ahead of them and call out. “Come on lover boys, the quicker we get inside the less we have to see of your foreplay.” Merlin and Arthur turn a bright shade of crimson and everyone else laughs. I turn back around and see the forest is starting to thin out and reveal the house. I sigh in relief as I make my way up the porch steps. I magic the door open and step into the foyer. I make my way to the dining room and the others follow. The dining room is still set up as a makeshift surgery, but no one else is in here. I hear a creak in the floorboards above and stop in my tracks. I hand my bag to Gwaine and hold my hand up to tell everyone to stay where they are. Arthur starts to pull out his sword and I shake my head. I pull out a pistol and slowly clear out the first floor. I make way up the stairs and clear out all of the bedrooms. I'm about to head up into Merlin’s loft when I hear a board creak behind me. I turn around and tackle the person to the ground. I pull the man’s arm behind his back and see that its Elyan. I quickly let go and he scrambles back. “Jesus Elyan. I could have killed you,” I put my gun away and cross my arms, “Where is everybody? I thought they were gonna stay downstairs!”

He fixes his shirt and looks at me annoyed. “They’re in Merlin’s study looking for something called a router.” I nod in thanks and he heads down the stairs. Laughter followed him up the stairs, so I relax a bit. I grab the railing and make my way up to the loft. When I get to the top I can hear two people.

“It has to be here somewhere.” I glance through the bookcases to see Gwen and Gaius looking under a table against the far wall. Gaius looks under the next table and sighs.

“The router isn’t under this one.” Gwen stands up straight and sighs.

“Where could it be?” I smile and cross my arms.

“If you’re looking for the internet router, it's in my study, not Merlin’s.” I wave my hand and the door to my study appears with a loud crack. The two turn around startled. Gwen smiles and rushes over to me.

“Oh thank the gods you’re alright.” She hugs me tight and I wince at the pain in my back. She quickly let’s go and looks at me worryingly.

I wave my hand as a reassurance. “I’m fine. Why do you need the router anyway?” Gaius walks of over to us and holds a book out to me. I grab it and flip to the page that was marked. “Netflix? You want the router for Netflix?”

Gaius nods. “The book says that we can use Netflix to watch television, but it needs internet to work.” I close the book and laugh. “The tv downstairs is already connected to the internet. All you have to do is grab the remote and press the red Netflix button.”

Gwen’s eyes widen and she smiles. “That’s brilliant!”

I shake my head and motion towards them. “Come see Merlin.” The smiles on their faces fade and are replaced with grim expressions of worry and anticipation. “Don’t worry he’s fine. Probably getting overwhelmed by everyone else, but fine all the same.” The others viably relax and follow me down the stairs. The living room is frightfully empty. The only thing in it that proves there was recent human life, is my bag resting against an armchair. I sling it around my shoulder and head into the dining room. The others have pushed the beds to the side and are currently arguing about something.

”I don't know where she put them! I thought she just moved them to a different room.”

”How could she move that table to a different room? It can't even fit through the door!”

”She could move it the same way she got the beds in here in the first place!”

I sigh and elbow Percival and Arthur in the stomach. “Calm down guys I’ll put the table back just-“ the doorbell ring and I groan. “Why can’t I have five minutes to just chill?” I move towards the door, but Merlin stops me.

“You chill. I’ll get the door.” I try to argue, but the looks he gives me makes me cave in defeat. He smirked then heads for the door. I turn back to the others and cross my arms in annoyance. “Why can’t you guys just sit in the living room?” The gives me this look that says ‘I am the king you prat. I do what I want’ and I sigh in defeat. “Stand against the wall with me.” We all walk to the back of the dining room and I step forward a little bit. I let my magic swirl around the room and coax it into the medical equipment. With more force than I expected the beds disappear and huff and exhausted breath. I stand up a little straighter and pull the table and chairs back from the void. My body starts to ache and I feel very strange. I push the feelings down and bring the chairs and roundtable back. When I pull my magic back into me I slump against the table. I feel Gaius brave my shoulders.

“Are you alright my dear?” I can hear the worry in his voice.

“I’ll be okay. I just need a minute before an-“

“Alex?” I turn around to see Merlin standing next to a woman. The woman looks to about twenty years old with hair black that rests just above her shoulders. Her bright green eyes stare at me with anger and worry at the same time. I smile and stand up better.

“Hi, Jadeanne.” I take a few steps forward, but the funny feeling in my stomach turns to sharp pain. “Ah!” I shriek as I drop to my knees and clutch my stomach. I look up at two blurry faces grabbing me and trying to help me up. The pain becomes worse and worse until finally a fountain of blood bursts from my mouth and sprays the person in front of me. Everything is like swimming in cotton and the last I see is Jadeanne’s terrified face before darkness takes me away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have some sketches of the oc and some of Merlin now and stuff like that. I just don’t know how to get them online. When I do though, I will make a chapter dedicated to them. 
> 
> On a side note, anybody watch Steven Universe? These last few episodes have been the best in the show by far. 
> 
> Aw jeez getting off topic again. 
> 
> So have a great summer and if you see a bunny in your backyard, be prepared to fight off an army. ‘Sighs internally’ (that’s my life right now)


	17. Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin forgets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really short chapter and trigger warning for some people. Depression. You don’t have to read this chapter to understand the next one, but it will help.

I watch silently from the door of Arthura’s room as Gaius and Jadeanne put my daughter in her bed.

“Is it from her injuries?” Jadeanne whispers to Gaius panicked.

Gaius shakes his head, “No. it’s from magic exhaustion,” he places the back of his hand on Arthura’s forehead and frowns. “She’d have to use a lot of this to her body.”

Jadeanne sighs and holds Arthura’s hand. “She’s always been like this. She does anything to protect her family.” She bends over and brushes the hair out of Arthura’s face. “She never stops to think how it will affect her.”

Gaius nods and grabs Jadeanne’s hand. “She’ll be alright. She’s just used a lot of power in the last few days. So many complicated spells.” He looks at Arthura and I cringe at the face. It’s the same face he used when I was ever in danger.

Jadeanne crawls into the bed and lies next to Arthura. Gaius smiles gets up to leave. He’s moved out of the way and I finally see Arthura. Her skin has a grey parlor and her face is contorted in pain. I can feel my face crumple as tears blur my vision. Gaius walks up to me and places a hand in my arm.

I flinch at the contact and pull back. “This is all my fault.” I rush out of the room and make my way up to my workshop. I push into my room and see that it’s different.

The bed has obviously been slept in and a set of pajamas lay on the floor.

“Alex let me sleep in here.” I turn around startled to see Arthur in my doorway. He walks over to me and picks the clothes off the ground. He sets them on my chair and turns to look at me. “We’re finally alone.” I frown and sit on the edge of my bed.

“I want to be alone.” Arthur’s smile falters a bit.

“What?”

I look up to him and lace venom in my words. “I want to be alone.” I get up and move to push him out of my room.

“Merlin, what’s gotten into you?”

I stop and look at him incredulously. “My daughter is currently two floors below me writhing in pain because she almost killed herself trying to save me! You ask me why I’m acting like this?! I almost got my child killed Arthur! And all you want to do is be ‘alone’ with me!?” I slowly get louder and louder until a jar in my workshop shatters. I stop and his through my teeth, “let me be alone.” 

Arthur frowns and steps into the workshop. I slam the door shut and lock it, before leaning against it. When I hear Arthur’s footsteps disappear, I slide down the door, curl my knees to my chest, and wrap my around around them.  I bury my head into my knees and start crying.

‘Why did this happen? I was doing fine. I was fine. Everything was fine!’

_But you weren’t happy._

’I'm never happy.’

_You are when you forget._

I push myself off the ground and crawl onto my bed.

_When you forget everything is better._

I reach over to my nightstand and pull out a black case.

_When you forget no one gets hurt._

I pull the belt out of the case and tie it around my arm.

_Just forget all of your problems._

I take the needle out of the case and fill it with my special blend.

_Forget all your pain._

I put the needle in my arm and take a deep breath.

“Just forget.”

I inject the opioids into my body and forget the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is still a cliffhanger. Sorry? Kind of? Ok, so I leave for mission trip on Saturday and will be gone for a few weeks so I thought ‘Just give them Merlin’s perspective of the next chapter to hold them over for a bit!’ So, here you go!
> 
> On a side note, a while ago I said I would do a Halloween chapter and never did because I said it would spoil things? Well, it won’t spoil them anymore, so I’m gonna shove it in somewhere soon! It’s a very fluffy little chapter of I do say so myself. 
> 
> Oof long closing not this time. Sorry. Hope you still have a great summer!
> 
> Bunny war update: dear have joined in on the enemy side. I’m not sure if I can win this battle now. Must send for reinforcements.


End file.
